Storms, Satan, and Sickness.

Man, God sure is funny sometimes. The amazing kind of funny.

I guess this is where I go back to the main reason I started these blogs. To tell people things about me that i wouldn't normally, no matter how close we are. I regularly go through stages of sadness and i guess depression? I've never been diagnosed, and i never will be, but I'm sure thats what it is. Really it just goes back to my loneliness. I'm one of those people who strives for close relationships, constant communication, things like that, and i'm sure it really bugs some people, especially the people i'm closest with right now, and i do apologize for my constant text messages. :)
But the point i'm trying to get to. I call these moments of loneliness "bad days" so if i ever say something like yesterday was a bad day, thats usually what I mean. And usually not long after i have a "bad day" something happens and I instantly feel better. I'll get a random text from a friend, or I hear a song that makes me feel better, or something. And i'm just like, ok, stop being stupid, you have God running through your veins!! Why the heck are your sad? And then of course i'm not sad anymore, usually the complete opposite. That feeling will last for a couple days, then we'll repeat the cycle. And that's my life right now in a nutshell. Welcome.
So last night and into this morning was a bad day. And it doesnt help that i have a super over active imagination, so i tend to really make things worse for myself. I've been feeling pretty down all day, I spent the majority of the day doing my laundry and catching up on stuff I've DVR'd. But all through out the day, i had this nagging thought that wouldnt go away. "You havnt listened to a podcast in two days, theres a new breakaway podcast out from tuesday, you really need to go listen to it." Then I'd open my computer, and the charger is messed up so i'd start trying to fix that because if I want to watch it my computer needs to be plugged in cause my batteries kinda crappy. So I couldnt fix it so i'd get mad and walk away from it.That happened like 3 times. So the fourth time i just decided to wedge my phone between the table and the chord from the charger, keeping it still, and that worked, so i watched it.
Towards the middle of the podcast, Ben brings up the subject of how people pray to God about they're problems, the ones that they are really struggling with, and they dont get an answer. And this is something I've always struggled with, and I know basic answer, but like every other time Ben speaks, he puts it in a way where its like a lightbulb comes on and it finally makes since. And this is exactly how he puts it. "Jesus isn’t just looking for you to have faith, he’s looking to grow your faith. So he will put you in situations that you don’t want, he’ll make you wait until you move towards him. And when you do that, you get to be a part of something bigger than you can imagine. "

So I wait.

Like always, even though i don't want to, I posted my notes from this podcast. But if you just feel so inclined, this is the podcast titled Storms, Satan, and Sickness from Breakaway Ministries podcasts.

P.S. It might be in your best interest to read the text for this message before you listen to it or read my notes. It will be hard to follow if you dont have knowledge of the story.


Mark 4:35-5:43
2/11/2011

The morning after he finished teaching from the boat, he and the disciples took off.

1. The Power of Jesus.
-You see it at that moment where they first get out on the sea. They run into a great wind storm. Water is beginning to fill the boat. Jesus is sleeping while this is going on. The sailors run to him and ask, “Teacher, do you care that we’re perishing?” It says Jesus stood up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea “peace, be still.” In the Greek translation, those two commands are just two words. So basically Jesus is saying to the wind, be quiet, and stay quiet.
-Weird moment one is that he would say that to nature. Weird moment two is that it obeys. Some people would say that that was a coincidence, but if you read on it says that the wind ceased, and that there was great calm. What that means is that not only did the wind stopped suddenly, but so did the waves, which is impossible, and the sailors were calm. Then Jesus goes back to sleep.
-Mark closes the story with a question. They said to each other. “Who is this that the wind and seas obey him?
-There was this out of control moment, and the sailors doubted Jesus’ love and power. But suddenly this out of control place obeys. Only God can rule the seas. There’s no conjuring, incantations, or wands, he just goes “quiet” and it does it, cause he told it to. That kind of power eliminates the possibility of you listening to his sermons and then trying to decide if they work for you or not.
-They were scared of the ocean, then when he’s done, it says they were greatly afraid. There’s only one thing scarier than they ocean. That guy. That level of control scares us more than an uncontrollable situation. He’s Lord whether you like it or not.
-Naturally, that disturbs us, because we want options. We don’t want people telling us what to do.
-Maybe for some people, there was a person in your life with authority over you, and abused it, didn’t combine it with love. So for you to hear that Jesus is your authority makes you greatly afraid because he has power over you and he could hurt you. But he has that power, whether you like it or not.
2. The Purpose of Jesus.
-They land on shore in the country Gerasenes. Gentile territory. As soon as they get there, a man with an unclean spirit comes running at Jesus. It just kind of sets up and show down, because Jesus has the Holy Spirit, and this guy has an unholy spirit. Dudes been breaking shackles, but it says that once he gets to Jesus, he falls on his knees and starts begging earnestly for God not to torment him. There’s no battle or anything. Jesus says “Sit, Get out.” and he does.
-Jesus rules the seen world, and the unseen.
-When Mark describes this guy, he uses the word unclean. Technically that means, defiled, violated. He lives among the tombs, dead things, and he’s isolated from society. It says that no one could bind him ANYMORE. So that means at one time they could. So he got into something that had a certain amount of power, but as he waded in deeper, it got more powerful. He had no control over his life anymore. He’s sad, tormented, and lonely, and he’s cutting himself.
-He’s the picture of all of us. The bible says that without Christ, we are the children of the devil, captive to do his will.
-He sits this guy down, and casts the demon into the pigs, and the pigs take off for the sea and drown themselves. Those tending the pigs run into town and tell everyone what happened. The towns people come to the sea side and see the once demon possessed man seated, clothed, and in his right mind.
-Jesus comes to the hurting and brings peace.
-In the story it says then the townspeople see the once demon possessed man seated, clothed, and in his right mind they are scared out of there minds.
-They come up to Jesus, and they weren’t expecting to see him chilling with this guy that used to run around naked breaking chains and things and cutting himself with rocks. They weren’t ready for that yet. He loves to take the people who are crying out in the night and bring there dignity back. He’ll sit with you.
-His purpose is to set people free.
-So your asking if he’s here to set me free and bring me peace, then what about my problems? I’ve been praying and he hasn’t done anything. You see the answer to that in the priority of Jesus.
3. The Priorities of Jesus.
-Jesus leaves one side of the sea and comes to the next., and another man comes running up to him, Jairus, one of the synagogue leaders, and he also falls on his knees in front of Jesus. He’s begging him to come heal his dying daughter. Jesus says “Yeah, I’ll do it.”
-Text says that there was a crowd of people that thronged him. A whole bunch of people want to see a miracle, and they’re packing around him. So you feel the tension here, Jesus is in a hurry and these people are surrounding him, pushing him and slowing him down. Then Mark brings up this girl who’s in the crowd, and she’s had this illness for most of her life. (Aside: if you haven’t heard this story, the text says she suffers from bleeding, and we’re talking about the female kind of bleeding here, so like the demon possessed guy, she’s considered unclean as well.)  She thinks that if she can just touch his clothes she’ll be healed. She’s not trying to get in the way, just a quick touch to see if it will work, and that’s all. Once she goes up and touches his garment, she’s healed, but then it says that Jesus stopped. The disciples don’t have any background info on this girl, so there like “Um your surrounded by a ton of people, and your wondering who touched your clothes?” The text says he began looking for who it was, he isn’t going to let it go.  If your Jairus, how do you feel right now?
-Finally it says that she came up and confessed that it was her, and she told Jesus her story. After he hears it, Jesus says because of your faith, you are healed.
-The thing is though, that the illness this girl had was chronic, it had been going on for 12 years, she would have been OK for another 2 hours or so, and if you remember, Jesus is in a hurry because Jairus’ daughter is dying at that moment, like, right now. And Jesus puts his daughter aside for this girl. He’s doing this because there’s something important about this woman that he wants to make clear. No one wanted this moment, Jairus didn’t want it, and neither did she, she just wanted to touch him and run. Jesus wants it. Because she just wanted this superstitious moment of let me get healing from the healing guy, and leave. And Jesus stops and says no. He wants to teach her and she had faith and that she trusted him, and that faith in him is what he’s looking for. Its your faith in me that gives you life.
-Jairus’ friends come up and tell him his daughter is gone. How do you think Jairus feels at that moment. Your standing here watching Jesus put on this show, and your friends come up and say you can stop bugging the teacher, because shes dead.
-Jesus turns to him and says “Don’t be afraid, believe.” I want you to wait. I want you to wait until all trust is gone, and I want you to keep trusting me.
-Jesus isn’t just looking for you to have faith, he’s looking to grow your faith. So he will put you in situations that you don’t want, he’ll make you wait until you move towards him. And when you do that, you get to be a part of something bigger than you can imagine.
-Jesus goes into the room and takes the people that trust him with him and kicks everyone else out. He looks down at that little girl and says “Talitha koum!” (means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”)
-You trust him, and he lets you see the miraculous.

So the question is this. You think he’s strong enough, whatever storm your facing, whatever demon is raging against you, whatever sickness or if your staring in the face of death. You think he’s strong enough to handle it? Is your Jesus big enough? Do you think he’s loving enough? Do you think he cares about you? Some of you don’t think he does and your wrong. Do you think he loves you? Or some of you, if you think he’s all powerful and all loving, do you think he’s also all wise? And maybe in his wisdom he wants you to wait? And if you do you’ll see the glory of God, do you see that? Because that’s the kind of faith he’s calling you to. That’s the kind of people he’s creating, and that’s where we’ll see his glory in our days on earth.