CHANGED BY CHRIST

“Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid” (Luke 8:35 NKJV).

Here the Lord Jesus had cast some demons out of a man and the effects upon the man were dramatic. Thus, we want to note some of the major changes that occurred when the Lord Christ cast out the demons. They include resting, respect, robed, and rational.

Resting – “Sitting.” This was a new posture for the man. Before the Lord Jesus cast out the demons, the man was constantly roaming about the tombs and mountains and wilderness day and night. Thus, this speaks of the soul’s rest that is promised in the Gospel. In Matt. 11:28, the Lord Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” One of the characteristics of sin is lack of rest (Isa. 57:20-21). But when the Lord Jesus changes your life, one result is rest for the soul.

Respect - “Sitting at the feet of Jesus.” Before the man was delivered of the demons, he wanted nothing to do with the Lord (cf. Luke 8:28). But after the Lord Jesus changed his life, the man now greatly respected the Lord Jesus and sat humbly at His feet. Animosity and hostility towards the Lord ends with redemption.

Robed - “Clothed.” Before the Lord changed this man’s life, he “wore no clothes” (cf. Luke 8:27). This robing of the man not only pictures the righteous robe of salvation (Isa. 61:10), but also pictures the improvement in the morals of a person when he gets saved. When people get saved, they start wearing more clothes instead of running around half naked. The immodest clothes that we see at church reveal a spiritual problem.

Rational - “In his right mind.” The devil would have folks believe that to follow the Lord Jesus is crazy, unintelligent, and backwards. But the very opposite is true. It is those who follow the devil and are controlled by his demons that act crazy. When this man was possessed by demons, he acted insane. But when the Lord changed him, he acted rational, sane, and sober. It is sin, not the Lord that causes people to act foolishly and irrationally.

(Adapted from Butler’s Daily Reading 2)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“Jesus Christ is not a problem; He is the solution to every problem for life, for death, and for eternity!”

Henry Allan “Harry” Ironside (1876 – 1951)

Canadian American Bible Teacher, Preacher, Theologian, Pastor, and Author

Word Study

Extinguish

In Eph. 6:16 we read, “In addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one" (NASB).

“Extinguish” is the Greek word sbénnumi (σβέννυμι = sben'-noo-mee). It means to quench, put out or extinguish referring to a light or a fire. Metaphorically, sbénnumi speaks of ceasing, thwarting or blocking an activity. In Classical Greek, sbénnumi is used literally of extinguishing a fire and of liquids that dry up. Figuratively, it was used of anything that is checked, quenched, or quelled. In the Septuagint, sbénnumi is also used to mean quench. In the New Testament, sbénnumi also carried the idea of to quench, to suppress, and stifle. And so we are commanded in 1 Thess. 5:19, “Do not quench (sbénnumi) the Spirit.”

“Fear Nots” Found in the Bible

“As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe” (Mark 5:36 KJV).

Did You Know…

According to 2 Corinthians, the apostle Paul used the Old Testament account of Moses and the veil to compare the old and new covenants (2 Cor. 3:1-18).

Bible Quiz

While in Joppa, the apostle Peter had a vision of something being lowered down from heaven on a large sheet. What was on the sheet?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: My sons had a tendency to be hot-headed and earned themselves the nickname “Sons of Thunder.” What is my name? Zebedee (Mark 3:17).

Names For the Lord Jesus in the Bible

“RULER OF GOD’S CREATION”

"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation” (Rev. 3:14 NIV).

1. Meaning – RULER OF GOD’S CREATION speaks of the Lord Jesus as the One who is the head and governor of all creation; the King of the creation.

2. Insights – The Greek word for “beginning / ruler” is archē and it means source or origin. However, this does not mean that the Lord Jesus was the first person God created, but rather that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself is the source or origin of creation (cf. John 1:3; Col. 1:15-18). He is the One in whom creation had its beginning. He is the origin, first cause, and ruler of all God’s creation. The Lord Jesus Christ as God the Son was not created. He always was, is, and will be. All things were created through Him, and apart from Him nothing was created.

Did You Know – Christian History

Granville Augustus William Waldegrave, 3rd Baron Radstock was born April 10, 1833, in London, England. He was a British missionary and a baron in the Peerage of Ireland.

Waldegrave was reared in the church, but his piety was average during his younger years. As a young man, his interests were ordinary: science, music, history, sport. On the Crimean battlefield, he faced death with the assurance that he was covered by Christ, but on his return to England, he realized that something was lacking when a barrister challenged him with the question, what was he doing for Christ?

Reluctantly, Waldegrave began reading to the sick, even going so far as to read from a Spanish gospel although he himself did not speak a word of Spanish! The Spaniard was converted, as well as others. This excited Waldegrave. Overcoming his embarrassment, he passed out tracts to his fellow lords. Their response was cold, so he took his ministry to the poor, preaching in London’s rough districts and channeling his wealth toward practical projects such as building hostels for women and homes for emigrants. When he prayed for the ill, he witnessed dramatic cures and revivals of the soul. And although a wealthy English lord, Waldegrave dressed simple in order to avoid undue respect, lived in second rate apartments to cut ministry expenses, gave up shooting because it distracted from Christ’s work, and went hungry in order to have more to give to Christ.

Fluent in French, Waldegrave led a revival among Russia’s French-speaking aristocrats. Several counts came to Christ. Alarmed by any hint of change, Russian aristocrats pleaded with Tsar Alexander II to squelch the faith. And afraid of losing their grip on the nation, leaders of the Orthodox Church also joined the appeal. Consequently, Alexander arrested converts, exiling some and jailing others. One exclaimed joyfully when he heard his sentence of imprisonment, “I have been praying that God would use me among prisoners and now my prayer has been answered.” Barred from Russia, Waldegrave found plenty else to do. He visited India and returned to England to carry on his evangelical work there. Little wonder, then, that Christians met to exalt the Lord and recall the deeds of the wealthy British Lord who, like Jesus, had moved among them as a servant. Waldegrave died in Paris on 8 December 1913.

A Little Humor

A pastor was speaking to a group of second graders about the resurrection of Jesus when one student asked, “What did Jesus say right after He came out of the grave?” The pastor explained that the Gospels do not tell us what He said. The hand of one little girl shot up. “I know what He said: He said, “Tah-dah!”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Many who are well prepared for a rainy day are totally unprepared for eternity!”