The Divine Deliverance
Part
1: Finding God’s Forgiveness
“When
he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and
worshiped Him.” –Mark
5:6
Coming From Afar
On August 27, 2003, Mars nearly
caught up with the earth, passing
within a mere 34,649,589 miles of our
planet. That was Mar’s
closest approach ever in recorded
history. The red planet will not come
that close again until 2287.
For several nights during that
period, Mars was the second brightest
object in the night sky (the moon
being the first). That month, I spent
several nights on the porch with my
family, gazing at the clear heavens.
I remember being deeply impressed
with the intensity of the universe.
Our planet is so small-it is less
than the smallest grain of sand of
the endless beach of space. It would
have been easy for God to snap His
fingers and obliterate this
rebellious little atom we call home.
Have you ever been reluctant to go to
Jesus because you felt you had so far
to go? When you look at the perfect,
spotless life of Christ contrasted
with your own sinfulness, do you
become discouraged by the vastness of
the gulf that separates you from Him?
Like the shackled demoniac, you know
that you are firmly bound by the
chains of bad habits and sins.
However, the Bible promises,
“Draw near to God and He will
draw near to you” (James 4:8).
In our study of the madman, Jesus and
His disciples “sailed to the
country of the Gadarenes, which is
opposite Galilee” (Luke 8:26).
Galilee was the center of Jesus’
labors, so in going “opposite
Galilee,” He traveled a long way
to meet the lunatic. That’s a
fact you do not want to miss in this
story-because in it you will see that
Jesus came from His home far off in
heaven to this lowly, dark world. Our
planet is the antithesis of paradise.
It bears repeating: Jesus made
a dangerous journey across the stormy
sea to save a man completely captive
to the enemy. He also crossed the
ocean of space to save this one lost
world. Like a shepherd searching for
a lost lamb, He walked the vast
cosmos to save a doomed humanity.
“Come
to Me, all you who labor and are
heavy laden, and I will give you
rest.” –Matthew 11:28
Come As You Are
During a war between France and
England, a French whaling vessel set
sail on an extended voyage. At some
point during the long journey, the
crew ran out of drinking water.
Unfortunately, the only port they
could reach before perishing of
thirst was one controlled by England.
Of course, they were afraid to
approach because they were sure the
ship would be seized and they would
be taken captives. Eventually,
however, they raised a distress
signal…and the answer came that
they could enter in peace because the
war was over. The sailors could
hardly believe it; they thought for
sure it was a trick. However, with
death staring them in the face, they
had no better option. So, they limped
into the port, risking their freedom.
When they docked, they found that the
report was true-peace had been
declared and they were in no danger.
One of the most sublime truths in the
story of the demoniac is that this
helpless captive of Satan came to
Jesus just as he was. He could do
nothing to save himself.
A pastor’s work includes
periodically visiting with members of
the congregation. Some of the members
offer all kinds of excuses as to why
the pastor should not visit them and
their families-at least not right
now. “The house is a mess!”
“My hair is a mess.”
“I haven’t had a chance to
clean up and change my clothes.”
“I don’t feel very good
today.” And the list goes on.
The demoniac had more reasons to
declare himself unprepared to meet
Jesus than just about anyone else. He
could have argued that his yard-his
cemetery! -was a mess. He could have
said his clothes were a mess-or more
accurately, that he was naked and
ashamed. He probably did not feel
very healthy either. However, he
understood his desperate need, so he
approached Jesus just as he was. And
Jesus received him despite his
deplorable condition.
The world is full of people
languishing somewhere on the sea of
life, facing eternal death because
they have no “water of
life” aboard their vessel.
Instead of heading their ship toward
God’s harbor, they reason,
“God is a tyrant! We cannot
trust Him. No, He will destroy
us.”
I want to shout a message over all
the waters that cover this earth:
“Peace has been declared! Come
into the harbor, where you will find
the bread of life and living water to
spare!” Scripture tells us, the
Holy Spirit says,”
‘Come!’…. And let him
who thirsts come. Whoever desires,
let him take the water of life
freely” (Revelation 22:17).
Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
“Blessed are the
poor in spirit, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.”
–Matthew 5:3
Running on Empty
Dwight Moody used to tell the story
of an artist in nineteenth-century
England who wanted to paint a picture
of the prodigal son. He searched
through the madhouses, the
poorhouses, and the prisons to find a
man wretched enough to represent the
wayward prodigal, but he could not
find one.
Then one day the painter was walking
down the street and met a beggar
fellow that he would pay him if he
came to his home and sit for a
portrait. The beggar agreed, and they
chose a day for him to come.
However, when the man appeared at the
artist’s home, the artist did
not recognize him.
The beggar said, “You made an
appointment with me for a portrait
today.”
The painter replied,
“That’s not possible;
we’ve never met! It must have
been some other artist. Indeed, I was
to see a poor beggar at this very
hour.”
“But I am he,” the man
said.
“You! But what have you done to
yourself?”
“Well, I thought I would dress
myself up a bit before I got
painted.”
“I wanted you just as you
were,” replied the artist.
“Now, you are no use to
me.”
Martin Luther said, “God creates
from nothing, so until we become
nothing, He can make nothing of
us.” When the demoniac went to
Jesus, he went absolutely
empty-handed. The only possession he
could offer Jesus were his miserable
soul, imprisoned heart, deranged
mind, and mangled chains. And much
like the prodigal son returning home,
when we go to Jesus, we go with dirty
clothes, with empty hands and
pockets-and an empty tank of gas.
Let me explain: I hate running out of
gas. Like most people, I fill up long
before the warning light starts
flashing. However, during my thirty
years of driving, sometimes I have
managed to come very close. On one
occasion, I desperately searched for
a gas station in a strange town,
while driving as economically as I
could. I accelerated slowly and
coasted whenever possible. Finally, I
found a service station, and I felt
great relief. And just as I pulled up
to the pump, my car began to sputter
on its last few drops of fuel. I was
totally empty when I made it to the
station.
This is how we go to Jesus-sputtering
and empty.
Peter, Andrew, James and John left
their nets and boats to follow Jesus.
Matthew walked away from his tax
booth. They gave up all they had.
However, when Jesus told the rich
young ruler to sell everything he had
and give the proceeds to the poor, he
refused. “He was sad…and
went away sorrowful, for he had great
possessions” (Mark 10:22).
Unwilling to lose the security of his
earthly riches, he walked away from
Jesus with his pockets full and his
heart empty.
Jesus asks each of us to cut our ties
to every earthy possession before he
can be His disciples. We must place
on the altar anything and everything
that comes between our heart and Him.
“For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also”
(Matthew 6:21).
In order to save us, God may allow us
to endure various trials so He can
get our attention. Sometimes He must
place a burden on our backs to get us
to fall on our knees. This might come
in the form of an illness or a family
or financial crisis.
For instance, a man in his fifties
who accepted Christ at one of my
evangelistic meetings tells the
story. He once had a good government
job, a nice home, a loving family,
and money in the bank. One weekend,
he drove to Reno with some friends to
gamble in one of the casinos. Like
most people, he lost money at the
poker table, the roulette wheel, and
the slot machines.
Naïve to the addictive pull of fast
money, he returned the next week with
high hopes of winning back what he
had lost. Instead, however, he lost
more. He began neglecting his family
and work commitments as his desire to
recoup the lost money grew. However,
he just kept losing. By the time, I
met him, he was facing a $60,000
credit card debt-even after he had
mortgaged his home, emptied his bank
account, and cashed in on his
retirement. What’s more, he was
drinking heavily and had lost his
job, and his wife had divorced him.
Spiritually and literally bankrupt,
he came to Jesus and found real
riches. As the hymns say:
“Take my silver and my gold;
Not a mite would I
withhold.’”
“Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to the cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless, look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Savior, or I die.”
“Beloved,
I beg you… abstain from fleshly
lusts which war against the
soul.”
–1
Peter 2:11
Two Spirits
A teenager in Virginia was
shocked to find a two-headed turtle
behind her home. She caught the poor
creature and watched as the two
freakish heads did a tug-of-war over
a piece of food that she gave them-or
it!
According to scientists,
two-headedness can occur in all
animals, but generally, such
creatures do not live long. Each head
tends to work independently of the
other, controlling its own side of
the body, and therefore creating
disunity, confusion, and frustration.
Unless one head takes primary
control, the other creature will soon
die from starvation and indecision.
A war is raging in the heart and mind
of every person on the planet-a war
between the spirit and the flesh. In
one sense, it is really a war between
two spirits.
If you asked people, “Would you
like to be Spirit possessed?”
most would probably fold their arms
and emphatically shake their heads.
“No, thank you!” We almost
always equate “possession”
with evil spirits. However, two
contrasting spirits are seeking
residence in our hearts and minds:
the Spirit of God and the spirit of
Satan (see 1 Corinthians 2:12).
The primary motive of one of these
spirits is love, and the other
selfishness. At times, each of feels
these forces pulling us in opposite
directions.
God designed our minds to be the
dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.
One good example of this is the
prophet Daniel, who was chosen
“because an excellent spirit was
in him” (Daniel 6:3). It was
also true of the martyr Stephen,
“a man full of faith and the
Holy Spirit” (Acts 6:5). And who
could forget John the Baptist,
“filled with the Holy Spirit,
even from his mother’s
womb” (Luke 1:15).
For these men and for us, the most
important part of the body is the
two-pound electrochemical computer
called the brain. Your hands and feet
do the bidding of your brain, so that
is the space that God’s Spirit
wants to inhabit. Of course, the
devil is constantly probing our
mental defenses for weak spots so
that he can break in and take
complete control of our thoughts.
However, Jesus knocks politely at the
door of our hearts and minds,
tenderly calling our names and gently
requesting permission to enter and
abide in us (see Revelation 3:20). We
should open the door to Him, because
He is perfectly filled with the
Spirit of God. “For God does not
give the Spirit by measure”
(John 3:34).
Dwight Moody said, “God commands
us to be filled with the Spirit, and
if we are not filled, it is because
we are living beneath our
privileges.” How can we receive
this filling?
“Blessed are the
pure and heart, for they shall see
God.” –Matthew 5:8
Power in Purity
One of the knights of King
Author’s round table was Sir
Galahad, who was called the
“Maiden Knight” because of
his pure life. He was much more noble
than the well-known Sir Lancelot, who
had an affair with Guinevere. Alfred
Tennyson, the English poet, reports
Sir Galahad as saying, “My
strength is as the strength of ten,
because my heart is pure.”
We looked in depth at the
devil’s deadly devices in the
last section. After seeing them, you
might be thinking we should live in
fear of his crafty power. However,
the story of the demoniac’s
deliverance teaches the opposite.
When we are abiding in Christ, we
need not fear the enemy. “You
are of God, little children, and have
overcome them, because He who is in
you is greater than he who is in the
world” (1 John 4:4). We need to
remember this crucial fact: We do not
become strong for God by virtue of
our own righteousness. Many professed
Christians are crippled in their
service because their unforsaken sins
sap the vitality from their faith.
It was after the disciples had spent
ten days humbling themselves and
putting aside their differences that
God poured out the power of His
Spirit (Acts 1:8). “Those who
wait on the Lord shall renew their
strength; they shall mount up with
wings like eagles, they shall run and
not be weary, they shall walk and not
faint” (Isaiah 40:31).
I once read about a rather rough,
uncultured bachelor who fell in love
with a beautiful vase in a shop
window that he passed each day as he
walked to work. He eventually bought
the vase and placed it on the
mantelpiece by his bedroom window. It
soon became a bold judgment on the
state of his room-the curtains were
faded and dirty, the old chair was
oozing stuffing, and the wallpaper
was peeling. The bachelor decided
that he had to clean up the room to
make it worthy of the vase.
Gradually, one project at a time, the
bedroom came alive. It was
rejuvenated. The beauty of one
special object inspired the
transformation.
This story illustrates the
transforming influence that Jesus has
when we receive Him into our hearts.
Jesus will make our hearts purer, and
when He does, we will become better
able to resist Satan’s
temptations. There is power in
purity.
“The
Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
because the Lord has anointed Me to
preach good tidings to the poor; He
has sent Me to heal the
brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to
the captives, and the opening of the
prison to those who are bound.”
–Isaiah 61:1
Delivering the
Captives
A miner approached the famous
preacher G. Campbell Morgan and said
he would do anything to believe that
God would forgive him of all of his
sins. “But,” the miner
lamented, “I cannot believe He
will if I just turn to Him. It is too
cheap.”
Dr. Morgan responded with a question.
“You were working in the mine
today. How did you get out of the
pit?”
He answered, “The way I usually
do. I got into the elevator cage and
was pulled to the top.”
“How much did you pay to come
out of the pit?” the pastor
asked.
“I didn’t pay
anything.”
Morgan said, “Weren’t you
afraid to trust yourself to a cage?
Was it not too cheap?”
The man replied, “Oh, no! It was
cheap for me, but it cost the company
a lot of money.” Suddenly
the miner saw the light! While our
salvation comes to us freely by faith
and not by anything that we do, Jesus
paid an immense price for it. The
gift that is free to us cost God a
great deal.
The most eloquent plea that the
demoniac could offer was his own
desperate helplessness. However, he
came anyway, and Jesus heard the
prayer of his heart. “The Spirit
also helps in our weaknesses. For we
do not know what we should pray for
as we ought, but the Spirit Himself
makes intercession for us with
groanings which cannot be
uttered” (Romans 8:26).
All it took was one word from
Jesus-”Go!” –and the
man was free.
While the demoniac had once been a
slave to demon possession, he was now
free. While he was once wild and
uncontrollable, he now sat quietly at
Jesus feet. While once he was an
instrument of Satan, he was a witness
to Christ’s power. Once naked,
he was now clothed. Once a menace to
society, he was now a messenger with
words of deliverance and healing.
A young girl watched a plane write an
advertisement against the blue
backdrop of the sky. She became a
little puzzled when the words began
to disappear. Then suddenly she piped
up. “Maybe Jesus has an
eraser!” she said.
In a sense, she was right. Just as
skywriting disappears, Jesus wipes
away all things for which we have
repented. No matter how much we
mature as Christians and try
desperately to compensate for our
past misdeeds, memories of these
failures can rise up and haunt us.
However, with God’s forgiveness,
they will fade away.
Jesus does have an eraser.
“Jesus
said unto him, ‘If you can
believe, all things are possible to
him who believes.’” –
Mark 9:23
The Power of Faith
A friend gave me a racquet worth
two hundred dollars when he heard how
much I like playing racquetball. (I
think he had purchased it at 75
percent off.) I looked forward to
playing with this ultra light,
powerful racquet. In fact, I thought
to myself, “Now I am going to
win for a change, because I have got
this expensive, high-tech
racquet.”
Sure enough, the next time we played,
I won all three games. Afterward, as
I was putting my racquet away, I
discovered that I had been playing
with my old racquet. Evidently, I had
pulled the old racquet out of my bag
instead of the new one without
noticing what I was doing. And since
I though I was playing with t
two-hundred-dollar racquet, I played
much better though the entire time I
was really was using the same old,
crooked thirty-nine-dollar racquet I
had all along!
Faith is powerful! Aware of this
truth, major corporations pay
motivational speakers thousands of
dollars a day to inspire their sales
employees. These speakers say that
when people truly believe in
something, they have the “power
of positive thinking,” which can
influence them to do extraordinary
things.
Even the twelve-step
addiction-recovery programs
incorporate faith as one of the major
keys to success. Step 8 says: “I
not only believe, but ‘act as
if’ my higher power is guiding
my life and situation. My life is one
of simple reliance on my Higher
Power.”
The Bible also promises great things
for those who have faith. From the
Old Testament to the New, it has
always been about having faith.
Habakkuk 2:4 tell us, “The just
shall live by faith.” And in the
New Testament, Paul wrote, “By
grace you have been saved through
faith” (Ephesians 2:8).
After the disciples tried and failed
to cast a demon out of a boy, they
called on Jesus, who rebuked the
demon and cured the child almost
instantly. The disciples asked
Jesus,” ‘Why could we not
cast it out?’ “Jesus
answered,” ‘Because of your
unbelief, for assuredly, I say unto
you, if you have faith as a mustard
seed, you say to this mountain,
“Move from here to there,”
and it will move; and nothing will be
impossible for you’”
(Matthew 17:18-20). And when Jesus
faced the demoniac, He believed He
had the power to set the poor soul
free.
“Without faith it is impossible
to please Him, for he who comes to
God must believe that He is, and that
He is a rewarder of those who
diligently seek Him” (Hebrews
11:6). We will not be able to break
any of the chains that bind us if we
do not have faith.
Ask Christ to increase your faith
today so that He can do even greater
things in your life. If your faith is
fragile, you can even pray like the
father of the demon-possessed boy,
“Lord, I believe, help my poor
belief!” (Mark 9:24).
“Looking unto
Jesus, the author and finisher of our
faith.” –Hebrews 12:2
We Are Changed by
Beholding
A godly pastor was approached by
a member of his congregation-a
physician who was concerned about the
pastor’s busy schedule. Handing
the minister some theater tickets, he
said, “You work too hard! You
need some recreation, so go to this
movie and have a good time.”
His pastor looked at the tickets,
knowing he could not conscientiously
attend. He replied kindly,
“Thank you, but I cannot take
them. I cannot go.”
“Why not!” asked the
physician.
“Doctor, it is this way,”
he answered. You are a surgeon, and
when you operate, you scrub your
hands meticulously until you are
especially clean. You would not dare
operate with dirty hands. Likewise, I
am a servant of Christ. I deal with
precious souls. I would not dare do
my service with a dirty heart.”
Probably the most lethal influences
eroding the purity of modern
Christians are the TV and VCR/DVD.
Many professed Christians who would
never be found guilty of engaging in
the actual deeds of murder, adultery,
robbery, and lying still participate
vicariously in these sins every week
by willingly beholding them on
television programs and through
videos.
King David promised, “I will set
nothing wicked before my eyes”
(Psalm 101:3). Not only does
Scripture condemn those acts, but
judgment is pronounced against those
who “have pleasure in them that
do them” (Romans 1:32, KJV). In
other words, those who revel in
watching others commit these sins are
committing them in their hearts.
There is a dainty butterfly with a
wingspread of less than an inch.
It’s beautiful-bright blue wings
with jewel-like gold spots. However,
as lovely as it is to behold, it has
a disgusting diet. Instead of
floating from flower to flower and
feeding on nectar, it descends to
earth and feeds on dung.
Millions of professed Christians act
like these butterflies. They go to
church, but they feed on filth at
home, as they watch TV programs and
videos that profane God’s name
and depict violations of every
commandment. If we ever hope to be
pure in heart, we must guard the
avenues to our souls. What we choose
to watch, read, and hear should
measure up to the standard of
Christ’s approval.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by
the mercies of God, that you present
your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable to God, which is your
reasonable service. And do not be
conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your
mind, that you may prove what is good
and acceptable and perfect will of
God “ (Romans 12:1,2).
The demoniac’s deliverance is
beautiful to consider. As this poor,
raging soul stood before the Savior
and beheld Him, he was transformed
into the image of his new Master.
Scripture often testifies to the
principle that we become like the
person or thing we worship. “We
all, with unveiled face, beholding as
in a mirror the glory of the Lord,
are being transformed into the same
image from glory to glory, just as by
the Spirit of the Lord” (2
Corinthians 3:18).
So, as we turn our eyes upon Jesus
and gaze everyday at His pure and
spotless life, we find ourselves
longing for that same purity.
However, if we fill our minds with
the wicked and frivolous material
that is so prevalent in movies,
magazines, and on television, we will
find that carnal craving constantly
pollute our heart. They will sear our
conscience, and we will lose our
hunger and thirst for righteousness.
It is worthy to note that the
animal-like demoniac lived in a
region peppered with idols. Many were
of gods that were part animal and
part man. Surrounded by these
animalistic images, the madman became
like the idols he beheld. The Bible
says this will happen to anyone who
falls into the same trap.
“Those who make them are like
them; so is everyone who trusts in
them”
(Psalm
135:18).
Those who worship and follow Jesus
are gradually transformed into His
likeness. That is what makes them Christian,
“followers of Christ.”
Scripture notes this transformation
in Jesus’ disciples: “When
they saw the boldness of Peter and
John, and perceived that they were
uneducated and untrained men, they
marveled. And they realized that they
had been with Jesus” (Acts
4:13).
“When he saw
Jesus, he cried out, and fell down
before Him.” – Luke 8:28
