Heaven, Demons & Jesus

Hi, my name is George Sinclair. I'm the lead pastor of Church of the Messiah.

It is wonderful that you would like to check out some of the sermons done by Church of the Messiah,

either by myself or some of the others. Listen, just a couple of things. First of all,

would you pray for us that we will open God's Word well to His glory and for the good of people like

yourself? The second thing is, if you aren't connected to a church and if you are a Christian,

we really, I would really like to encourage you to find a good local church where they believe the

Bible, they preach the gospel, and if you have some trouble finding that, send us an email. We

will do what we can to help connect you with a good local church wherever you are. And if you're

a non-Christian checking us out, we're really, really, really glad you're doing that. Don't

hesitate to send us questions. It helps me actually to know, as I'm preaching, how to deal with the

types of things that you're really struggling with. So God bless.

Father, sometimes, Father, we have to be sort of un-Canadian as we read your Word. Father, we don't

like being un-Canadian, but we confess before you that unless we sort of are un-Canadian, we can't

sometimes really hear what your Word is saying to us. And we thank you, Father, that your Word reveals

us as we really are in the real world, as it reveals your Son, the real Savior, who has come to die for

the real us, each of us. So we ask, Father, that the Holy Spirit would come into our hearts gently but

deeply so that your Word might come gently but deeply into our hearts and that you might speak and

rule in the very center of who we are. And we ask this in the name of Jesus, your Son and our Savior.

Amen. Please be seated.

So if, I think this is going to have a sermon title and you will see if you go online later on. I think

the title is going to be Heaven, Demons, and Jesus. Heaven, Demons, and Jesus. It's one story and two parts.

And as I begin this sermon, I'm going to, you might have picked up something in the prayer, those of you

who were, you know, listening to the words rather than just praying your own prayers, which is

perfectly good. I'm about to do something which is very un-Canadian and most Canadians would say is rude.

And so I guess I'm just going to ask that you give me a little bit of grace. And for those of you watching online,

that within the next minute or two, you don't turn it off in anger. And those of you who are here who are maybe

offended by what I'm about to say, that you don't just tune me out, but just give me some grace.

And the reason I'm going to do something which is a little bit un-Canadian, which is, and sort of generally Canadians would view,

is just sort of not right, a bit rude, is because the problem that we have when we come to the Bible

is that we basically think that our own views are better. And it's not necessarily, I mean,

sometimes it's because we've thought very deeply about it, but in many cases, it's just,

these are my views and my views are better. This is my truth and my truth is better. I mean,

your truth is fine, but frankly, I like my truth better. And that sort of can end up being a bit of a

barrier for us to actually hear what the Bible has to say. But the other thing about it is,

as we all know, one of the ways to insult a Canadian is to say that they're thoughtless.

Like, if you say to anybody, you're thoughtless, you never think, you just follow the crowd,

like they'll be offended. It doesn't matter if that's actually what they're like, or if that's

how you are, but we'll be offended. So just in giving me some grace, let's just walk towards

something which we Canadians generally say to each other all the time at funerals. And when we've met

somebody who's just lost a loved one, they've lost their husband or their wife, one of their children

or their best friends, what is it that they say? They've gone to a better place.

They've gone to a better place.

If your loved one, maybe they've had a sister or a very good friend who's died before them,

we'll say they've gone to a better place, and now they're with Sue.

That's who they are. And then we might add that they're looking down on us or that they're with us

or some type of thing like that. But that's a very, very common thing.

You know, Bob has died. He's gone to a better place, and now he's with Sue.

And now he's also with Fred and a couple of other of his buddies.

And then we might make a joke, you know, they're up there having a beer or a good laugh or whatever,

but they've gone to a better place, and then they're usually with some loved one.

Now, it's rude for Canadians to question this, and that's what I'm going to do.

So first of all, so Bob dies, and he goes to a better place,

and he goes to be with Sue and Fred and some of his drinking buddies.

We also know that Bob had two ex-wives, and they've both died.

Are his ex-wives with him?

His ex-wives despised him, and he hated them.

So is Bob with his ex-wives and with Sue?

And would Bob think it was a better place to be stuck forever with his two ex-wives and Sue?

And what about the fact that Bob was really mean to his youngest sister,

like really, really mean, which you don't bring up at the funeral,

but his younger sister's also died, so is he with the younger sister?

And would that be a better place for any of them?

Would the younger sister say, oh, goody, here comes Bob.

I get to spend eternity with Bob in a better place.

So if they're not in a better place, like if that younger sister and the two ex-wives

aren't in a better place, where are you saying that they are?

See why this is a very rude thing to say to Canadians.

Where are those other people?

Where did the two ex-wives go?

Like, are they in hell?

Well, now here some wags might be tempted to say yes,

but that would be very un-Canadian as well.

Are they just in non-existence?

You see, here's the problem.

Our conception, this is a separate thing from just how it is that we think that,

given that, you know, evolution is, naturalistic evolution is true

and all of that type of stuff,

that there could be some type of a spiritual place that,

like, apart from all of that,

here's the thing.

Your better place is made up of people you like and approve of.

The better place is made up of people that you like and approve of.

To which I have to say,

who made you the center of the universe

and the determiner of who goes to heaven and hell?

Who made you the center of the universe

and the determiner of who goes to heaven and hell?

Who made you the center of the universe?

In fact, doesn't that sound narcissistic and arrogant?

Now, I've really offended you, some of you,

because, of course, none of you intend this.

Like, none of you intend this.

You see, in fact,

and here, by the way,

I'm not pointing a finger.

I love the analogy that when you point a finger at somebody,

there's three fingers pointing back at you.

And, you see, what the thing reveals

is a little bit of just about the way we naturally think.

And part of the thing it reveals

is that we just naturally think

in self-centered terms.

It's just natural to us.

It's so natural to us

that we're not often even aware of the fact that...

But, really, like, every person at the funeral

has just said,

I am the center of the universe.

I get to determine who goes to heaven and hell

and non-existence.

That's what they've just said.

But we don't...

No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

I don't mean that.

But then, well, there's nothing that we mean.

That's the problem.

So, I say that because, you see,

if we look at the text,

which we're going to start reading in about a minute,

if you read the text thinking,

well, that's all very interesting,

that's all very, you know, religious,

but I prefer my way,

I just wanted to say

there's a problem with your way.

And I want to suggest

that actually,

if you start to realize

that there's a problem with your way

and you actually start to hear the Bible,

you realize

that the Bible solves

the deep longings of your heart.

You see, here's the thing.

The good thing about that statement,

they've gone to a better place,

the good thing about that

is despite all philosophy

and all science,

despite all of the bright people

who are in the elites of Canada,

you refuse to believe

that death is the final thing

about a human being.

You refuse to accept it,

that death wins.

That's the good that you're saying.

And the Bible is good news

to that good longing

and that good insight

that you have.

It's very interesting,

but you see,

you don't get it until you,

you see,

I only said this

because the Bible's

going to talk about it.

It's very funny.

I was just,

I was telling somebody,

I think last Sunday,

I just finished,

I don't read that many

Stephen King novels,

but I read a Stephen King novel

just recently,

and you know,

he's such a weird,

like an odd guy,

but in the course of the book,

like the hero of the book,

says this,

the Bible is relentless

in puncturing our self-deceptions.

Doesn't that sound like something

that G.K. Chesterton

or C.S. Lewis would say?

That's Stephen King.

I don't know where it comes from.

The Bible is relentless

in puncturing our self-deception.

So let's look

at what the Bible actually says.

So it begins like this.

If you have your Bibles,

turn in them to Mark 9,

Mark 9:2

verse 2.

We're beginning the second half

of the Gospel of Mark.

What's just happened before this

has been that Jesus is revealed

for the first time

that he's going to be going to Jerusalem.

He's going to die.

He's going to be captured

by the authorities.

He's going to be put to death

on a cross,

and he's going to rise from the dead.

He's revealed it for the first time.

And the disciples,

especially Peter,

Peter says,

no way, Jose,

that's not going to happen to you.

And Jesus rebukes Peter

and says,

you're thinking like the devil.

You're not thinking

the way you should.

And then Jesus says,

listen,

anybody who wants to follow me

has to pick up their cross

and follow me.

And that's sort of where we go.

And now it's six days after that.

This is how the text goes.

In this ancient biography of Jesus,

it goes like this,

verse 2 of chapter 9,

and after six days,

Jesus took with him

Peter and James and John

and led them up a high mountain

by themselves,

and he was transfigured

before them.

And I'll explain

what that means in a moment.

And his clothes became radiant,

intensely white,

as no one,

and actually the word one there

in the original language

is a technical word

for an expert launderer.

So it's saying that,

and they don't translate it that way,

but that's actually a technical word,

not one,

but expert launderer,

that no expert launderer

on earth could bleach them.

Verse 4,

and there appeared to them,

that is Peter, James, John, and Jesus,

and there appeared to them

Elijah with Moses,

and they were talking with Jesus.

And Peter said to Jesus,

Rabbi, it is good that we are here.

Let us make three tents,

one for you and one for Moses

and one for Elijah.

For Peter did not know what to say,

for he and the other two

were terrified.

And a cloud overshadowed them,

and a voice came out of the cloud,

this is my beloved son,

listen to him.

And suddenly looking around,

they no longer saw anyone with them,

but Jesus only.

So what's happening here a little bit?

Those of you who come to the church

a few times,

you know that I'm always plumbing

the depths of the great tradition

of history,

of the philosophers and literature

of the past.

And so, you know,

out of my deep delving

into that great history,

the best way to understand

the transfiguration

is if you've watched

Chris Pratt's movie,

The Tomorrow War,

which of course is part of that great,

that was a joke,

it really went over flat.

If you've watched the movie,

The Tomorrow War,

this isn't a spoiler

because it happens

about six minutes into the movie,

what happens,

and it's just the most recent

movie of things like this

that happened all the time,

people are watching

the final of the World Cup

in soccer.

And right towards the end

of the game,

all of a sudden,

there's all these flashing lights

and all of this other type of stuff.

And then out of the flashing lights

come this group of people

and they announce

that they've come,

I think it's from 37 years

in the future.

And they've come from 37 years

in the future into the past

and then that's what gets

the rest of the movie.

Basically, they're trying to,

all the people in the future

are dying against aliens

and they want to get new people

from the past

to fight the aliens

and that's the rest of the movie.

But the point is

that that gives you

a bit of an insight

about what's happening here.

It's as if the Christians believe

that there will come a day

when Jesus will return.

And when Jesus returns,

he will come with angels

and archangels.

He will come with the company

of heaven.

And this created order

will come to an end,

but we will see Jesus return

with the saints

so to speak.

And what we see

is that which is in the future

and we don't know

if that's 10 minutes from now

or a thousand years from now.

But that future event

for a moment,

we see it come into the past

and we see Jesus now

with Moses

and with Elijah.

So that's sort of

what's happening to it.

The other thing is

what happens to Jesus

is what you really are seeing

is that,

and the words

in the original language

are passive.

So it's not that Jesus

like flicks a switch

and does something,

but God does something.

And actually,

there's a bit of an issue.

Nobody knows why

Moses and Elijah were chosen.

The text doesn't give

an answer to that.

One group of scholars

and thinkers

wonder if the reason

it was Moses and Elijah

was that they are

the only two people

in the Old Testament,

what our Jewish friends

call the Tanakh,

who actually see

the back of God

at this opportunity

where for a moment,

Peter and James and John,

it's as if

there's a pinprick.

God makes a pinprick

in the veil

that hides

the true glory

of God,

the Son of God,

the Lord Jesus Christ

from human eyes.

and for one brief moment,

God makes a bit

of a pinprick,

just the tiniest pinprick.

And even with that

tiniest pinprick,

you see the glory

of Jesus.

You see the glory

of Jesus.

You see,

Christians believe

that God,

the Son of God,

without stopping

being God,

sets aside

his glory

and his prerogatives

and his majesty

and his splendor,

sets all of those

things aside,

but remaining fully God,

but setting those

things aside,

takes into himself

our human nature

and walks amongst us.

And he becomes

both fully God

and fully human,

but he's one person.

And for this brief moment,

God takes away

that,

in a sense,

that setting aside,

and Peter and James

and John

get to see

that Jesus

is glorified,

he's transfigured.

And what happens

is that not only

is that Jesus

glorified and transfigured,

but it even changes

the clothing

that he's wearing

so that they,

that that is glorified.

And the other thing

it sees here,

and this is really important,

you see,

Peter and James

and John,

they have been trained

their entire life

to understand

that there's only one God.

But when Peter

sees Jesus,

Moses,

and Elijah,

and Moses and Elijah

are also

glorious,

and they're so glorious

that for a moment

Peter forgets

that he's a monotheist

and wants to build

three tents

because it looks

as if there's three gods

who are there.

Now,

this is very,

very,

very,

very significant

to us

in several ways.

You see,

the work,

what God intends

for his children

when they come

to faith in Christ

is not that you will

vanish into the ocean

of God,

and it's not that you

will just become

something spiritual

and ethereal

and a better place,

losing your body,

but that you will be you

in all of who you are,

and you will be

completely,

massively,

glorified,

so glorified

that if some of us

were to see you

in the new heaven

and the new earth,

we would think you

were a God

and feel compelled

to worship you.

This is the destiny

that God has

for his children.

Now,

if you understand

that that's the destiny

that God has

for his children,

you realize

that that means

if I have to get

from me

to what this is going

to be in the future,

well,

no amount of prayer

is going to do that.

No amount of giving

my money to charity,

my generosity,

the church,

is going to do that.

No amount of exercise.

no amount of reading

John Maxwell books

on leadership

and attitude management.

Like,

nothing that I can do

will accomplish that.

And how do I know

that empirically?

Well,

because when I die,

I die,

I lose it all.

Unless God does something,

I can never get

from here

to here.

only God

can do something

to get me,

this me,

to here.

You and I

are completely

and utterly helpless

unless God does it.

And actually,

you see here as well

something else

which is really

important,

that

if the me

who's here

still has the evil

that is within me,

my narcissism,

my self-centeredness,

my besetting sins,

if that

ends up having

the glory of this,

then this is not

something that you

would feel like

worshiping,

but that you

would flee from.

I would be

a great evil.

And unless

God,

in getting me

from here

to here,

also deals

with those parts

of me

that are far

from God

and narcissistic,

I cannot

get there.

One other thing

which is very

important about

this story,

I mean,

there's more than one,

but just for now.

One of the things,

the only reason

we read this

ancient biography

of Jesus

based on either

direct eyewitness

testimony or other

eyewitness testimony,

and this ancient

biography was written

when there were

literally hundreds

and thousands

of people

who were eyewitnesses.

So when we're

reading this,

I mean,

it looks all fancy now,

but if you go

to some museums,

you'll see scrolls

and papyrus,

and you'll realize

that's exactly

what this was originally,

that this fellow

by the name of Mark

wrote this ancient

eyewitness biography,

and it's been recorded.

And the only reason

we know this

and read this

is ultimately

because Jesus

actually did die

as he predicted,

and he actually

did rise from the dead.

And if that hadn't happened,

then we wouldn't read

about this

and know about it

because this would just

be all make-believe language.

The language

in the original Greek

is the language

of the newspaper,

of just recounting facts.

It's not the language

of mythology

or story

or parable,

but the language

of the same language

which is being used

to talk about

the death of the queen

and her funeral

and all of that

type of stuff.

It's the same type

of fact language

which is being used.

And so one of the things

that the disciples

had up until now,

they had a problem.

If Jesus,

they saw Jesus

stop storms.

They saw Jesus

raise,

they've seen Jesus

heal the sick.

They've seen Jesus

walk on water.

And so the question

they would have had

is how on earth

could somebody

who could do that

actually die on a cross?

Like,

a week or two ago,

I don't know

if it happened downtown,

but where I was,

there was a storm

and there were hail pellets

this big.

And it was so,

the hail came down

so hard

that you couldn't

actually see,

like I couldn't see

the car

just like 40,

50 feet away.

I could hardly see it.

That's how heavy

the hail was coming down

in waves.

And Jesus could

just stop that.

He stopped the story.

He just stops it.

So you could see

and understand,

people would say,

Jesus,

Peter would say,

Jesus,

how on earth

could you possibly die

when you can do

things like that?

Like that,

it just,

no way,

it's not going to happen.

It's impossible.

And now they have

another reason to think

that Jesus isn't going

to die because

they've seen Jesus

in his glory.

And here's the thing,

and our Muslim friends

perfectly articulate this,

and what they articulate

is the natural human

understanding of how

the universe works.

And in the universe,

the way the universe works

is the glorious,

the godlike,

does not die for schmucks.

That makes no sense.

It goes against reason.

It goes against the natural

habits of our imagination.

It goes against our daydreaming.

It goes against all of that

type of stuff,

that some being

of great power or glory

would die for schmucks,

that would die for the unworthy.

It just is not the way

the world works.

And so Peter and James and John,

they've seen Jesus,

and now there's going to be

another reason why they believe

that Jesus can't possibly

die on a cross,

because it just goes

against the way,

you know,

our Muslim friends

will say for us,

it is inconceivable

that Allah would die

for you folks

and me.

It is just inconceivable,

it is unimaginable,

it is not the way

the universe works.

Therefore,

your religion is wrong

and incorrect,

and you must come

to the true teaching

of Muhammad

about Allah.

But here we see

something radically

different

that goes against

natural

imagination.

Now I have,

so what we're going

to see here

is the story continues

in two different parts.

And just as an aside,

one of the things

which is so important,

you know,

one of the things

which is so beautiful

about the Bible

is it both gives you stories

and it gives you ideas.

It gives you things

which are a bit abstract,

but they help each other.

The stories form us

in a deep,

unconscious way

that abstract ideas

make sense.

And that's what we're

going to see right here.

If you read

Philippians chapter 2

Philippians 2:5

verses 5 and 11,

5 to 11,

it talks about God's

inside his glory

and coming down

and all.

It's all abstract,

but we see that actually

enacted right here

in the story.

Look what happens

beginning at verse 9.

They come down

the mountain.

Verse 9,

And as they were

coming down the mountain,

Jesus charged them

to tell no one

what they had seen

until the Son of Man

had risen from the dead.

This is another prediction

of his death

and his rising from the dead.

So they kept the matter

to themselves,

questioning what this

rising from the dead

might mean.

And they asked him,

Why do the scribes

say that first Elijah

must come?

And Jesus said to them,

Elijah does come first

to restore all things.

But then he says,

Here's a question.

How is it written

that the Son of Man

that he should suffer

many things

and be treated

with contempt?

But I tell you

that Elijah has come

and they did to him

whatever they pleased

as it is written of him.

And there's three

different ancient biographies.

There's four ancient

biographies of Jesus

and three of them

tell this story.

And I think two

of the other ones

mention that Jesus

is referring to

John the Baptist.

But here's the thing.

What Jesus is wanting

to say to the disciples

is when you read

what our Jewish friends

call the Tanakh

and what we now

called the Old Testament

and they would have

just known as the Bible.

You have to understand

that you're reading it

within the lens

of natural human

imagination and reason.

But if you actually

go back

and read

the Tanakh,

you will see

that it's telling you

of a very,

very,

very different God,

the true God

that actually exists.

the God

who didn't create

human beings

as slaves

or food

or didn't create

human beings

for his ego

or for his lack,

didn't create

human beings

as some type

of divine tragedy

whereby somehow

or another

beings got created

when God

didn't intend it,

but that God

created human beings

to be his friends,

to be his children,

and that human beings

turned from God

and brought evil

and death

into the world

and that even

when human beings

had turned from God

and bringing evil

and death

into the world,

that God made

the promise

that he would

rescue them

and do for them

what they could not

do for themselves

and that you would

in fact see

at the very heart

of reality

that God

will die

to make

his children

right with him

because they cannot

make themselves

right with him

by themselves.

And this gets

enacted very powerfully.

If you go back

earlier in Mark,

Jesus is introduced

as Emmanuel,

God with us.

And here we see

breaking down

the natural habit

of how our minds work,

we see that Jesus

revealed in his majesty

coming down the mountain

and he comes down

the mountain

to be amongst us.

He comes into

an argument,

he comes into

religion,

he comes into

human powerlessness,

he comes to

the demonic,

he comes to

sickness,

he comes to

chaos,

he comes amongst us.

Look what happens,

verse 14.

And when they came

to the disciples,

they saw a great

crowd around them

and the scribes,

those are sort of

like experts,

they'd be like

in Canadian terms,

they'd be a combination

of professors

professors at elite

universities

and public intellectuals

sort of at the same

time.

And as well as that,

they would be sort of

viewed as an expert

on spirituality.

So if you could sort of

view Oprah,

a public intellectual,

and a U of T

or U of O

or Carleton prof

or Université de Montréal

prof,

that's sort of

what a scribe is,

all rolled up

into one.

So they,

verse 14 again,

and when they came

to the disciples,

they saw a great

crowd around them

and scribes

arguing with them

and immediately

all the crowd,

so that's Oprah's

arguing with them,

Jordan Peterson's,

you know,

Oprah and Jordan Peterson

in the same sentence

doesn't make any sense,

but Oprah's arguing,

Jordan Peterson's arguing

and your favorite,

you know,

the most elite professor

at your university

is arguing with them

and immediately,

verse 15,

all the crowd,

when they saw Jesus,

were greatly amazed

and ran up

and greeted him

and Jesus asked them,

what are you arguing

about with my disciples?

And 17,

someone from the crowd

said,

teacher,

I brought my son to you

for he has a spirit

that makes him mute

and whenever the spirit

seizes my son,

it throws my son down

and my son foams

and grinds his teeth

and becomes rigid,

so I asked your disciples

to cast out the demon

and they were not able.

And verse 19,

and Jesus answered them,

O faithless generation,

how long am I to be with you?

How long am I to bear with you?

Bring him to me.

And they brought the boy

to Jesus

and when the spirit,

the evil spirit,

saw Jesus,

immediately it convulsed the boy

and the boy fell on the ground

and rolled about

foaming at the mouth.

And Jesus asked his father,

how long has this been happening

to him?

And Jesus said,

from childhood

and it has often cast him

into fire

and into water

to destroy him.

But if you can do anything,

have compassion on us

and help us.

Just sort of pause there

for a second.

It's very significant

that we read this story

on the day of the baptism

of that young baby

who's temporarily quiet.

There's this really old

Christian writer

who said,

if the devil takes

an interest in your children

when they're very young,

you should teach them

when they're very young.

Isn't that just brilliant?

If the devil seeks out children

when they're very young,

then you,

if you're a Christian parent,

should be instructing

your child

at a very young age.

That's why ministries

like our Sunday school

is really important.

Like if you're doing,

if you volunteer

and become part

of the Sunday school roster

or help with nursery,

you're doing something

really precious

to help form

disciples of Jesus.

But let's get back

to the story.

So he says,

so the dad says,

verse 22,

if you have compassion

on us and help us.

And Jesus,

verse 23,

said to him,

if you can,

all things are possible

for one who believes.

And here it means

believes in him,

in Jesus,

not just have some,

like,

belief emotion,

but believes in Jesus.

And then the dad

is so brilliant.

Look at what he says.

The dad is so brilliant

in verse 24.

Immediately,

when Jesus says,

you know,

if you believe in me,

you can do anything.

And verse 24,

immediately the father

of the child

cried out and said,

I believe,

help my unbelief.

that,

friends,

that,

friends,

if you pray that prayer,

you're praying something

the Bible said you can pray.

Like,

if you're struggling

with unbelief,

and maybe you don't even

want to share it

with people,

like,

some of you who've heard

many of my sermons,

I've shared with you

the different times

when I've almost walked away

from the Christian faith,

sort of in the first decade

or so of my Christian faith.

And,

but here,

Jesus gives us permission

to pray,

Lord,

I believe,

help my unbelief.

And here's another takeaway

which is really important.

Often we Christians

say that what marks you,

a Christian,

is their peace in Christ.

And that's true.

But it's not all

of the story.

The other part of the story

is that what marks

a Christian

is their inner

spiritual warfare.

what marks a Christian

is not just

their inner peace in Christ,

but their inner

spiritual warfare

as they struggle

with those ways

whereby,

you know,

there's an old hymn

that goes in the,

the things of earth

will grow strangely dim.

And that's true.

But in many ways,

the problem for us

as Christians

is that the things of Christ

grow strangely dim.

We have a moment

of conviction

in the church

or listening to music

or something like that

and then we go away

and there's cars

and there's buses

and we're hungry

and we have bills to pay

and we're worried

about the Queen

and King Charles

and we're worried

about Pierre Polivare

or whatever it is

that we're worried about

and the things of Christ

grow strangely dim.

And what marks a Christian

is not just

their inner peace

but their inner

spiritual warfare

that we believe

while dealing

with those things

which encourage unbelief.

And when verse 25,

and when Jesus saw

that a crowd

came running together,

he rebuked

the unclean spirit

saying to it,

you mute

and deaf spirit,

I command you

come out of him

and never enter him again.

And after crying out

and convulsing him terribly,

it came out

and the boy

was like a corpse

so that most of them

said he is dead.

But Jesus took him

by the hand

and lifted him up

and he arose.

And when he had entered

the house,

that is Jesus,

when Jesus had entered

the house,

the disciples asked him

privately,

why could we not

cast it out?

And Jesus said to them,

this kind cannot be

driven out

by anything but prayer.

It's the first place

in Merck's Gospel

where Jesus tells us

to pray.

Now here's the thing,

just wrapping it up.

You see here perfectly,

Peter wants to stay

in the mountain

and worship.

Jesus goes right down

to where the argument is,

the demon is,

the demons are,

where the religious experts are,

where sickness is,

and he comes amongst us.

And he comes amongst us

to heal.

You know,

there's a very,

very brief type

of picture here

of what the whole cross

is about

and the Christian life

is about.

And what our human destiny is.

You see,

we all need,

at different times

in our life,

healing.

And it's beyond the scope

of my time

of this sermon.

But I think the Bible

teaches that there really

are demons

and that they can affect

human beings

and they do affect

human beings.

They can oppress us

and we need deliverance.

just so you know,

one of the things

I do while I'm singing

over there

is I take a pause

from singing

and every Sunday

I ask the Lord

to cast all demons

far from us.

That's what I do.

I believe it.

I believe that's what

the Bible teaches.

I'm not embarrassed by it.

It's what the Bible teaches.

And Jesus comes

to defeat the devil,

to defeat death,

to defeat sin.

He comes to bring

the true and greater

healing of our bodies,

which will only happen

when we see him

in the new heaven

and the new earth

and that we are like him.

And if our bodies,

and if who we are,

all we are,

not just the spiritual

or emotional part

that will go up

into some better place,

but if all of who we are

matters to God

and our destiny

is to have all

of who we are redeemed,

that means that

the evil within us,

not necessarily

that there's demons

within us,

but that there is evil

within us,

that that has been

atoned for

by Jesus' death

upon the cross,

that it is removed,

that we receive

new life,

and the direction,

the destiny

for human beings

is a new resurrected

body of glory

in a new heaven

and a new earth,

and rather than that

leading us to think

that if that's the case,

the things of earth

should grow strangely dim,

the fact of the matter

is is that Jesus said

as you're gripped

by the gospel,

you walk to the mess,

and you pray deliverance,

and you pray for healing,

and you start hospitals,

and you start schools,

and you get clean water,

and you start businesses

that can employ people,

and you dream up songs

and dances

to make life worth living,

because that's all

in the direction

of where Christ is going

when he dies on the cross

and rises from the dead,

and invites you

to be his child

by adoption and grace

when you put your faith

and trust in him,

and as the gospel grips you,

as Christ grips you,

that's where you walk to,

and for those of you,

those of us

who struggle with feeling

like we're in the right,

the real body,

if they're struggling

with feeling like

we're in the right body,

Christ will make you

at home with your body.

That's the direction

of which he will move,

because you're going to

have a redeemed body

for all eternity,

and that is a good thing.

That is the deep longing.

Woody Allen famously said,

when I die,

I don't want to live

in somebody's memory.

I want to live

in my apartment,

because we don't want

to live without a body,

and only the Christian gospel

describes how that might happen,

and gives substance

and depth

to the longings

of our heart.

Please stand.

Bow our heads in prayer.

Father, if there are

any of us here

who, some of us,

maybe we've,

we wouldn't say

that we've ever been

a Christian.

Father,

if we ask that

your Holy Spirit

would speak

and move in them,

and I ask,

now this isn't a prayer,

but I'm speaking,

Father, to those people,

if you feel that pressure

to turn to Christ,

I just ask that you

just stop listening

to my prayer,

and you just turn to Christ,

and open the door,

and let Christ come

into your heart

to be your Savior and Lord.

And if you're here,

and maybe you don't know

where you are with Christ,

but you know you've been

away from Him

for a long time,

this is your opportunity

to know once again

that you are His,

and live like that,

because He pardons

your offenses

and gives you new life.

But for all of us,

we pray,

Father, thank you so much

that Jesus is the Savior

of the world.

Thank you so much

that He came

to defeat the devil

and all hellish

and fell powers

and principalities

in this world,

that He came

to defeat death

and sin,

which is the result,

the cause of death,

that He has accomplished

that in His life

and death

and resurrection.

And we ask, Lord,

that you make us disciples

of Jesus who are gripped

by the gospel,

longing for that day

when He will return.

And while we long

for His return, Lord,

that you might equip us

and strengthen us

to walk towards

those dark places

and those empty places

and those broken

and despairing places

of the world,

to be used by you

to bring light

and life

and love

and joy

and wholeness

and healing,

all bearing witness

to Jesus,

the one who brings us

the true

and greater joy

and true

and greater healing.

So we ask, Father,

that your Holy Spirit

would do that work

in through us

to your great glory,

not to ours.

And we ask this

in the name of Jesus

and all God's people said,

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.