Welcome to this edition of the Weekend Sermon. I hope that everyone had had a very good week. I am always glad to be able to post the sermon each week.
This week I have some good news to report. I just heard this morning that I got a writing job that I applied for. This is a real answer to prayer. I am also thankful that the storms and heavy rain we were supposed to get passed by, and no area around me received much rain. Thank you all for your prayers.
In other matters, I would ask you all to pray for those in New Orleans and other parts of Louisiana who are dealing with flooding. Also pray for those in Montana dealing with the forest fires and those in the Tulsa area dealing with the tornado damage.
Please remember to pray for peace in the world. There is a lot of overly provocative talk going on right now between the US and North Korea. Please pray that everyone will remain calm and that there will not be a conflict in this situation. Also, please continue to pray for peace in Syria and Iraq.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for the nations of Liberia and Israel. Pray that many in these two nations will hear the message of Jesus' love and forgiveness.
These last few months, we've spent most of our Weekend Sermons dealing with the parables of Jesus. Today, we will continue with our study and examine what I believe is a very strange parable. It gives me the chills a little.
In Matthew 12, the Pharisees had requested a sign from Jesus that He was truly the Messiah. Jesus said to them that no sign would be given to them except the sign of Jonah the prophet. Jesus said that the people of Nineveh would rise up and condemn this generation because they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah was with them. The Queen of Sheba would speak judgment because she traveled far to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and now one greater than Solomon was in there midst.
After saying these words, Jesus told a parable about demons. Jesus said that when an unclean spirit goes out of a person it travels through watery places looking for a resting place. If it doesn't find one, it will return to the person from which it came. Finding the the place empty and in order, it brings along seven more spirits that are even more evil. The person is now worse off than ever. Jesus said that that was the circumstance of the current evil generation that He was speaking to.
So, what do we make of this parable. First, of all I think that Jesus is speaking symbolically here. I don't think that He meant this parable to be dissected as to how demons operate in the world. I do believe that there are evil spirits that can take possession of people. I believe this because Jesus said that it was so, and we see it in the Gospels.
Some Bible scholars believe that all of the accounts of evil spirits in the Bible are people suffering from mental illnesses that people did not understand in that day. I think that there may be some truth in that, but I certainly think that evil spirits exist.
The Bible is quite clear that a Christian has the Holy Spirit residing in him or her. The Spirit that is in us is greater than the evil spirits in this world. A true believer in Jesus does not need to worry about an evil spirit taking control of them.
I believe that there is a meaning to this parable that was specific to the time in which Jesus told it, and I think that there are some applications that we can draw from it today.
Jesus came to His generation and preached the message of love and forgiveness. Many people responded to Him initially, but most people of Jesus' generation did not acknowledge Him to be the Messiah. Because they did not do that, they were actually worse off than if Jesus had never preached to them at all. He gave them the chance to turn around and follow Him. Unlike the people of Nineveh who repented in Jonah's day, the people by and large did not listen to Jesus. Because they heard the message of Jesus and did not respond, they were without excuse, and that is a terrible position to find oneself in.
Now, what application can we draw from this. I believe that we can learn a lesson from this parable about what it means to recover and truly turn around from a bad situation. Let me explain.
I know of many people who tried to recover from various forms of addiction whether it be alcohol or drug addiction. They will get sober, and that is wonderful. However, it won't be long before they are back on drugs or alcohol, and they seem worse off than they ever were. Why?
Many get back into these bad situations because they have treated the symptom of the problem and not the problem itself. There is some underlying issue that leads to people finding solace in various substances. If this is not addressed, a person will never have true victory.
As a believer, I know that Jesus is the one who can bring true deliverance to people. He can change people and provide them with hope and love.
Also, when people leave a bad habit or when they want to turn from doing something that is wrong, it is essential that they find something to replace that thing they are turning from. Instead of being involved in what is wrong and harmful, they need to fill up their time with doing something good and positive that helps other people. If a person does not find something positive and good to replace a bad behavior, often they will fall back into the old pattern again and again.
There is just one other thing that I wanted to add in regard to this parable. It is not really directly related, but it is in a way. Some people preach all the time about a spirit of this or that causing people to act a certain way. They then try to rebuke this or that spirit.
Really, I believe that most people don't have spirits controlling them causing them to act in certain bad ways. People can come up with bad behaviors and do evil things on their own without any help. People need to take responsibility for their own actions and find help for their problems.
Many people do have mental health issues that need to be addressed. There are doctors and counselors that can help with this. It does take effort to overcome many times, and it can be a long hard road. I know this from personal experience.
Here is one thing I know in my life. You can always call on Jesus to help you in any situation. He will always be with you, and He will help you to make it through. Whatever situation you find yourself in in life, I urge you to reach out to Jesus for hope and healing.
Next week, we will continue with our parables of Jesus series. We don't have too many more weeks to go. On Monday, I will post the verses, and I will have a review on Wednesday. May God bless you all. Amen.
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