Living the Kingdom: Healing, Deliverance, and the Gospel

book. If you brought your Bible, hold it up in the air like you care, somebody. And everyone on the count of three, we're going to shout word. Here we go. 1 2 3. Word. We're getting into God's word so that God's word will get deep into us. You know, as you get into God's word, one constant theme you'll see is that Jesus preached about the kingdom of God and he put into practice for us what the kingdom of God looks like. So, he didn't just preach it with his lips. He actually demonstrated it for us. So that when we go to the Bible and you read books like Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, you read about the life of Jesus, we get to see what the kingdom looks like. And then he gives us the authority to operate in the kingdom. When Jesus talked about the church in Matthew chapter 16, he said, "I will give you the keys of the kingdom that whatever you bind on earth will be bound in

heaven. Whatever you loose on earth will be loosened in heaven." Jesus does not want us to operate in the same way that we've always operated in. He wants to give you his authority so that you can experience kingdom in your life. Everyone shout kingdom. Kingdom. Today's title for the sermon is living out the kingdom of God. Living out the kingdom of God. God does not just want you to know about the kingdom. He wants you to live it out. Would you say that with me? living out the kingdom of God. Sometimes we know things in our head, but we just needed to move from our head to our heart. From our head to our heart. You know, Jesus told us that you can summarize all of the scriptures just with a simple commandment. Love the Lord your God with all your come on heart, your soul, your mind, your

strength. You know that word heart, if you look up the Greek, it actually means your bowels to be moved deep inside. It's what motivates you. It's what moves you. It's what's inside of you. It's what you believe to your core conviction. And it's not enough just to know about the kingdom. There are a lot of religious people that know a lot of scriptures. We don't need more knowledge of God. We need to move it and put it into practice. We needed to go from our head just right down to our hearts that this world would be changed. This world is not changed with information. It's changed with transformation. As you read about the life of Jesus, you see this common theme. This is what he did. He healed, he delivered, and he preached the gospel. He would heal, he would deliver, and he'd preach the gospel. He would heal the sick of all their

diseases. He would deliver people from demons. He set the captives free, and he would preach the gospel. He pointed us forward to the good work that he would do. Christ crucified. He died. He was buried. And he rose from the grave. That's the gospel. is Christ crucified. He even talked about it before he went to the cross that he was going to die. He willingly laid down his life so that we wouldn't bear the burden of our sins, but we would trust in Jesus. We too can be set free and experience the kingdom. I would summarize the kingdom in those three things. Healing, deliverance, and the gospel. Now, gospel means what? Shout it out. Good news. So, whenever you hear the word gospel, it simply means good news. And we're going to look at more of that today. Now, here's the crazy thing about Jesus. If you really examine the life of Jesus, no one could argue that Jesus

didn't change the world. Even if you don't believe he's the Lord and Savior, even if you don't acknowledge him as a King of all kings, there are billions of people today that worship Jesus. So, even if you don't worship Jesus, one would have to acknowledge that Jesus changed the world. Hallelujah. Now if you look at the life of Jesus as you read about the account of Jesus life he he lived 33 years before he was crucified. According to the accounts in scriptures he he rose from the grave. He he witnessed himself to more than 500. Then he ascended into heaven. Now in 33 years Jesus never went more than 50 miles to the east or to the west and 150 miles to the north and to the south.

Jesus did not go more than 150 miles to the north and to the south or 50 miles to the east and to the west. That's about the size of central Oregon. And one could speculate that if you look at the life of Jesus over 33 years that he would have walked about 15,000 miles. Now that sounds like a lot until you look at the speedometer on your car or odometer. And I can hit 15,000 miles easily in less than a year. So, in my life, I could easily hit 15,000 miles in less than a year. But in Jesus lifetime, he probably went about 15,000 miles and no more than 150 miles north, south, 50 miles east, west. And yet, this guy changed the world.

There was no social media to get the word out. He had no cell phone. He couldn't travel by plane or train or even automobile. He did not even create a headquarters where he could come up with a strategy to change the world. This was a Jewish man born to peasant Jewish parents in a tiny Jewish town who was raised in a Jewish town. And we see that his ministry was really simple in that he recruited 12 Jewish men. Some might say they were misfits, fishermen, tax collectors, zealots. And he primarily went to Jewish areas.

He preached in Jewish synagogues, which are like a a Jewish churches. He went to the Jewish temple. And this man changed the world. How did this man change the world? How are we who many of us are not even Jewish, we worship this particular man, Jesus Christ? Paul said in Galatians chapter 4, this is how he says it. He says, "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his son, born of a woman." That's what we believe. Jesus is fully man, born of a virgin, but he's also fully God. 100% man, 100% God. And God sent him born under the law, the

same law we are under, to redeem those who are under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. Jesus did what no man has done before. He lived a sinless life. And he took our sin on the cross so we'd no longer be spiritual orphans, but you can be born again and adopted as a child of God. Now, I like the way the New Living Translation puts the fullness of time had come. This is the way it's translated in easier language. But when the right time came, God knew exactly what he was doing when he sent down Jesus at just the right time so that he would be the king of all kings. Now, think about this. Jesus could have waited until 2024 to come to this world. And then we could have used social media. And then we could have all shared this and liked it and followed this. And we we we could have done that if Jesus would have chosen this time.

But that's not the time he chose. But when the right time came. Do you know that God's always on time? He's never late. And he's never early. His timing is not our timing. I know that's pretty messed up because you think you have the right time, but God is always on time. When he rescues you, when the your last day comes, he knows the hour. He's always on time. And he came at a time when the Roman Empire looked like it was going to rule the world with King Caesar le leading the way. But I will tell you what God did at just the right time. That Roman government, they

were creating infrastructure unlike any other government before them. They created highways and byways from one town to another town. So that when Jesus came and he showed us the kingdom, when he said, "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Now that message of the kingdom could be spread like no other. In fact, even today, modern infrastructure looks at the Roman government 2,000 years ago and they still learn from their infrastructures today. The city of Ben's a little behind, but but we're trying to catch up and look at what is the easiest way from a per for a person to get from point A to point B. And it was at this time that God sent his son so that we would know who he is and know his ways. And that is the

kingdom of God. You see, Jesus changed everything. And not for some people, for everyone that's willing to believe in who he is. that we too would not only have the authority of the kingdom but now operate in it and live in it. I I like how 1 Corinthians 4:20 reminds us for the kingdom of God does not consist of talk but in power. The kingdom of God does not consist in talk. It's not just about us talking about what we know of Jesus. It's the power of God working within us. Jesus said, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you." That's the kingdom of God. Let me put it in layman's terms here that you would do what you would ordinarily not do on your own. Listen, if you're able to live your life on your

own, you're not experiencing the kingdom. The kingdom is doing what you wouldn't do on your own. It's God's power actually working within you. Do you know we've been praying for you? We've been praying for this moment right here. Even early this morning, I was praying for you that you would be strong and courageous. That you would look a stranger in the eye and you would just be able to to articulate God's love. that that you wouldn't come in here and somehow think it's all about somebody else and I need to be catered. This is all about me. That's not the kingdom. The kingdom stretches you and gets you outside of your skin and actually looks people in the eyes that you don't even know and you can say God loves you. The kingdom is what Pastor Leanne shared just a moment ago. The kingdom is doing life with other people. It's not having it figured out. It's not having all of

your resources, but it's believing God does. I'm going to believe God's best. If you want to learn about the kingdom, go to the book of Acts. And in the book of Acts, we get to see God working through imperfect people. We get to see God do the supernatural through natural means. It's absolutely awesome. By Acts chapter 2, these are the people that were waiting, doing what Jesus told them to do, taking Jesus at his word. That's kingdom. And here they were praying in Jerusalem and the Holy Spirit comes upon them and God moves mightily and some were confused because when you see the kingdom and you don't have the Holy Spirit, you're confused. So Peter gets up and he preaches Jesus crucified. And then by Acts chapter 3, we see the kingdom put into place, healing. Peter and John, they go to the temple to pray and a man is begging because we live in a broken world where people are sick.

They have needs. And Peter and John, they look at this man and Peter says, "Listen, silver and gold we have not, but in the name of Jesus Christ, get up and walk." And we see the power of God at work mightily right away through normal people. That's kingdom. And all of a sudden, we we see this challenge that's starting to happen that God works through people who are unccredentialed. They're uncertified. These aren't the the most intelligent people. They don't have it all figured out. And so, there's confusion about this kingdom. Peter and John are actually arrested and they come before the council, the religious elite of this day. And as they're looking at Peter and

John, they're simply asking themselves, "How are they doing what they're doing?" People will do the same in you. Aren't you the fill in the blank? And I love how Acts 4:13 says regarding this encounter that just happened. Now when they saw the boldness, everyone shout boldness. Boldness of Peter and John, they perceived that they were uneducated. That word uneducated in the Greek is idiotes. It's where we get our English word. They perceived that they were just normal idiots. They were common men. They they were normal men. And they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.

So the power that they had to heal, the power that they had to preach, it didn't come from going to school and making sure they knew enough. It came from King Jesus. And this is what I love about Jesus. He will take you from where you are to wherever he wants you to be. Even if you make miserable mistakes like Peter did, denying Jesus three times. And Jesus looks him in the eyes. He doesn't give up on him because we have a God of grace. We have a God of second chances. And as these men were uneducated, these are the men that God chose to change the world. So here we are several thousand years later. Most of us are not Jews. Yet we say Jesus is the king. He's the Christ, which means the chosen one of God, the Messiah, the anointed one. How

did that come to be? Well, by Acts chapter 10, God decided to do something incredible to let us know that this was hope not for a few people. There is hope for everyone. You see, prior to Acts chapter 10, the message of Jesus primarily went to the Jews. That's who was changed by Jesus. They believed he was the Messiah that God would send through the scriptures that they studied. But in Acts chapter 10, we see a shift where God would use Peter, who happened to be a Jew, to go to the home of a Gentile, which was unheard of. A Jew did not go into a home of a Gentile. That it was considered unclean. But don't you know that God will send you to places you don't want to go, to do things you don't want to do, to say things you don't want to say, and

it's all for his glory. So, you want to grow in your faith, you're going to have to go where Jesus would go to reach people Jesus would reach and do things Jesus would do and say things Jesus would say. And that's exactly what Peter does. And so, he steps into the home of a gentile and we're we're told in Acts 10:34. So, Peter opened his mouth. Peter was a preacher and he said, "Truly, I understand that God shows no partiality." Someone shout, "Amen." That means God doesn't look at the color of your skin. He doesn't look at the family of origin, where you were born. He doesn't look at the outside, he shows no partiality. Doesn't matter if you're young or old or male or female. Verse 35, Peter continues and says, "But in every

nation, anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news, that's that word gospel. Preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ. He is Lord of all. You yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil. For God was with him. This is the kingdom. This is the first message

preached to the Gentiles. And here we are still receiving this message today. Jesus is a king. Jesus is the fullness of God. Jesus is the fullness of man. Jesus has all authority over every devil. Jesus is able to still heal, deliver, and set captives free today. I know there will be some here that say Jesus did more than heal. Jesus did more than deliver. Jesus did more than preach the gospel. Some will say Jesus walked on water. Some will say that Jesus multiplied the bread and the fish. Some will say, "Well, didn't Jesus make the the the nets overflow with fish?" Oh, didn't Jesus turn water into wine? Yes, Jesus did all of those things. But when you read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, do you know what he did consistently and

continually wherever he would go? Heal, deliver, and preach the gospel. If you look at the life of Jesus, this is a kingdom practice. Oh, those other miracles, they're spectacular, but we ought not expect the exact same thing. But what we can expect today is healing, deliverance, and preaching the gospel. We see this over and over. Matthew, one of his very followers, said this in Matthew 8:16-1 17. That evening they brought to Jesus many who were oppressed by demons. He cast out the spirits with a word and he healed all. Everyone shout all. He healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah when he said he took our

illnesses and bore our diseases. That is Matthew points back and says what Isaiah said said some 700 years ago that the Lord would send a Christ that is Yahweh would send the one that would save the world and he would not leave the world the same. We all acknowledge this world is broken. There's sickness, there's disease, there's brokenness all over. And the kingdom is restoring that which is wrong. And Matthew tells us that wherever Jesus went. He didn't just heal some, he healed all. Now, you go to the book of Luke, which is where we're going to spend most of our time today. Luke chapter 4. Luke is a doctor, a medical physician. So, he's going to share from a unique perspective. Luke

writes the li about the life of Jesus in the book of Luke and then he continues on the church in the book of acts. So Ruth uh Luke wrote both the book of Luke and the book of acts. In Luke 4 I want to just point out three things healing deliverance and the gospel. Luke 4:40. Now when the sun was setting all someone shout all. All those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Jesus. and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. Now the very next verse says, "And demons also came out of many." May I tell you today, when the kingdom work is done, the demons just love to distract.

Whenever you start to see some kingdom work in your life, you're also going to see some demonic. Now, let me just take a really quick pause, maybe even a commercial break to say we should not be getting our theology about demons from Hollywood. Some of us need to repent and acknowledge that what I know about demons was not from the Bible, but it was from what I grew up watching on television. That is not an accurate perspective of demonic. Jesus has all authority over every demon. And when you believe in Jesus and have the power of God himself in you, the Holy Spirit, you too can have authority over every demon. So you've got to allow the kingdom to happen in your mind where you get restored. You got to allow God to remove that which is not from him and replace it with the

promise of his truth in your mind. So verse 41, demons also came out of many crying. You are the son of God, they said. But Jesus rebuked them and would not allow them to speak because they knew that he was the Christ. So we see healing, we see deliverance, and then finally verse 42-44. And when it was day, Jesus departed and went to a desolate place. Oh, the people sought Jesus and came to him and would have kept him from leaving. They were so stoked with Jesus, they were like, "Just live here. We would love for you to stay right here so we never get sick again. We would love for you to stay right here so that the demons don't torment us anymore." But it says in verse 43, Jesus said to them, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well. Jesus is a man on

mission, for I was sent for this purpose, and he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea." Come on. Is anybody glad that Jesus isn't just for the frozen chosen? It's not about us four, no more. It's not about the First Baptist or the Second Baptist. is not about whatever denomination or church name that you've ever known about. Jesus is for all people. He made that clear in John 3:16. For God so loved the world. He didn't say God so loved the church people. He loved the world. And he wanted to go and preach this good news to as many so that we would see that what he did, we would live out the kingdom in our lives as well. And that's what he did. Verse 44, he was preaching. He was preaching the gospel.

The king has now shown us how to put this into practice in our lives. Healing. I tell you today, God wants you to be healed. So many times we listen to the lies that replay in our heads. I will always stay this way. This is the way it's going to be. Whatever you need to be healed of, I want you to know that God is greater. He heals all sickness and all disease. What he did then, he's still doing today. He also wants to deliver. The church is really good at telling us that we are sinners in need of a savior, which we are, but we also need to be delivered of demons. Too many times we allow the devil to still control certain areas of our lives. There'll always be people that semantically say, "If I'm born again, believe in Jesus, then I don't have a demon inside of me." Well, I'll tell you, sometimes they might still be tormenting you.

There's a reason that Paul in Ephesians chapter 6 says when you armor up, you get your faith to protect you from the fiery darts of the enemy. That devil's trying to get lies into your head. Even if you're born again, even if you're armored up, you might have the truth and righteousness and salvation, the gospel of peace, and still be listening to the lies of the enemy. You need your faith to protect you from the devil. You need the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. We need to be praying on all occasions. We need to be intercessors for one another, an army united for his purpose to bring forth the kingdom of God. I tell you, God's given us everything we need. 1 John 3:8 says, "The reason the son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil." So why would we let the devil rule and reign in central Oregon? Jesus came to destroy those works. He doesn't want you to stay where you are. He wants you

healed, delivered, set free, and living in the gospel of peace. This is the life God destined for you. This is the life that he has for our region. To overcome the enemy, the adversary, the devil, the the book of Revelation tells us how that happens. It's through the blood of Jesus Christ. He did it for us. He overcame the enemy. He overcame death. He defeated the devil by what he did on the cross. He He rose from the grave. And he shows us the power and authority of God even over the devil. Even over death. So you claim the blood of Jesus Christ. And the second thing we have is the word of our testimony. That is you have to keep coming back to the word. I am no longer who I used to be. I am saved. I am a child of God. I am forgiven. You've got to repeat your testimony. I know who I was, but that's not who I am any longer. Because the Bible says in that same chapter chapter

in the book of Revelation that he accuses day and night. Don't you know the moment you lay on your bed, the devil's going to try to tell you, "Oh, you're not loved. Maybe it'd be better if you didn't live. Oh, maybe things will always stay that way. Oh, look at all the problems that are happening in this world. It's time for you to start taking out the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. You let God speak to you at just the right time, and you remember your testimony. You remember who Jesus is. You remember that you're a bloodbot, born again. You are a chosen people, a royal piece, priesthood. You are destined for this. You have a story. And when you let King Jesus have his proper place in your life, your story is for his glory. So that you would see three consistent themes in your life. Healing, deliverance, and the gospel. Let me go

to one last story in the book of Luke chapter 8. And I'm going to try to go through this quickly, but I don't know if that's possible. Luke chapter 8. I want to look at this story. If you'd go there with me, it's also found in the book of Matthew chapter 8, Mark chapter 5. They all tell the same story through a unique detail through the perspective of the writer. It's the same story and and it gives the same details through a unique perspect perspective. And I stick with the theme of Luke today as a doctor as he tells us what happens when Jesus encounters you. I want to first give a little backstory before we get to the main story. Luke chapter 8 starting with verse 22. It's Jesus that's giving instructions to his students when he says one day he got into the boat with his disciples. He's the rabbi, the teacher. The disciples are his students.

And he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side of the lake." So they set out. Now, I want to just take a pause and just remind you that Jesus is the rabbi. You are the disciple. He's the teacher. You're the student. You should learn from Jesus. You should invite the Holy Spirit to speak to you, to tell you where should you go and what should you do. If we did that, the world would be a little more changed. I'm talking before you go into Costco, before you go into work, before you step onto the campus at your school, when you're dropping off your kids at school, we should be inviting God to speak to us. Where do you want me to go? What do you want me to do? What do you want me to say? When you do that, everything changes. Now, it's Jesus idea to go to the other side of the lake. It wasn't the disciples idea. Now, if God gives you an idea and he tells you to do something, don't you think it would be easy?

One of our core values at Journey Church is being relentlessly real. And some of us are so foolish to think that if God says to do it, it's actually going to be easy. But that's nowhere in the Bible. You could read this account. I'm just going to paraphrase what happens. While they're in the lake that Jesus told them to cross, a great big storm happens. The waves are beating against the boat. The water's filling the boat. Come on. Some of you feel like that in your lives. Why do I even follow God? I'm just filled with the worries of the water of this world are sinking me. I've got the worries of waves crashing upon my boat. Some of you are wondering and questioning why God's allowed you to go through what you're going through. That person left you, that parent left you,

that money left you, whatever it was, that health left you. And all of a sudden, you're stuck in the middle of this metaphorical storm of your life. That's exactly what happened to Jesus and his followers. And you know what Jesus was doing on the boat that day? Anybody know? Sleeping. You ever feel like God's sleeping in your storm? Like, do you not even see what's happening in my life right now? So, we're told in all three accounts that they go wake Jesus up and they say, "Do you not even care about us that that we're perishing?" Luke doesn't include that point, but they wake Jesus up. And what Jesus does next is really interesting. He acknowledges the storm, but he doesn't sit there and cuddle them. He doesn't sit there and allow them to have pity parties. Instead, he looks at the storm. And the Bible says he rebuked the wind and the waves.

Whatever it was that was causing fear, he rebuked it. In the book of Mark, it says that Jesus said these words, and it's really simple. Peace be still. That's it. It wasn't a big theological rant. He didn't have to go into great detail about who he is or where he's been or why he has authority. He just simply said, "Peace be still." Jesus does not want chaos in your life. He wants you to have peace. Jesus does not want you to have worry and confusion or uncertainty. He wants you to have peace. And the association of Jesus to what was happening in that storm was faith.

That the lack of faith caused the greatness of fear. So Jesus associates, "The less faith you have, the more fear you have. The less faith you have in God, the more you care about the things you can see with your eyes." Come on, somebody. That when the storms of life come, you're not looking with your spiritual eyes. You're looking with your natural eyes. And it just doesn't make sense why God's letting you go through what you're going through. Meanwhile, you've got the Prince of Peace who's willing to calm any storm. He's willing to rebuke the confusion and the chaos of your life and offer you peace. Jesus said it in John 16, "I've said these things to you that in me you may have peace." The more you pray, there is power in

persistent prayer because when you pray, the peace of Jesus Christ will guard your hearts and your minds. And it's it's it's a piece that actually cannot be explained. Counselors can't explain it. Doctors can't explain it. Preachers can't preach it. It's a supernatural peace that surpasses understanding. And it's in this place that Jesus calms the storms. They're freaking out. Who is this that calms even the wind and the w they've spent time with Jesus? They walk with Jesus. But let me just tell you, Jesus will always surprise you. Don't you ever think you have Jesus figured out or you're a Pharisee? He will do it at just the right time when you didn't see it coming.

You gave up on Jesus and he does it and you'll be like, "That's my Jesus. Who is this that I worship? I am constantly surprised by Jesus." Hallelujah. Now, they get to the other side and this is where Jesus, look at this, verse 26. Then they sailed to the country of the garrison which is the opposite of Galilee. So they actually removed themselves from the spiritual religious place and they went to the place of the Gentiles. When Jesus had stepped out on the land there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time this man wore no clothes and he had lived in a he he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. So Jesus calms the storms and when he comes to the shore he's not treated like a king. He's met with a man with demons.

Okay, that'll speak to you, someone. When God calms your storm and does a mighty miracle, expect to meet some demons. It's not going to get easier. The devil's going to want to distract you from what God just did. Are you still tracking with me? He calms your storm. He does a miracle. You get to by faith see that King Jesus has all authority over the natural and the the the the the spiritual and the you get to see that he is king over all. That's when the devil wants to discourage you, defeat you, meet with you face to face. This man, it says in the book of Luke, he was not only naked, which scripturally means that he was full of shame.

We if we came to church naked today, we'd be like embarrassed and scared. It it's an imagery of shame. We see it in Genesis chapter 3 when sin enters the story. Nakedness represents shame. Well, it's just not supposed to be that way. But this man, he represents shame. He does not have a home, a place where there is a safe haven. He lives among the tombs. This represents death. Mark tells us that he actually selfharmed himself. This is a demonic spirit. Kids are doing this today. Teenagers are doing this today. Adults are doing this today. The devil wants you to forget about your problems by harming yourself. The devil wants you to live amongst the tomb so that somehow you think you have no reason to live. You have no place to call home. The devil wants you to live in your shame. And that's who Jesus meets. Everyone else had abandoned him.

The book of Matthew says that there were two of them. More than likely, this was the more serious of the two. They had no community. They had no fellowship. They had no careers. It looked like their lives were over. And that's who Jesus encounters. And when he saw Jesus, he cried out, verse 28, and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, son of the most high? I beg you, do not torment me." Now, can we just stop here for just a moment? Because this is a strange story. May I just say demons are strange. They will operate in such a way that it can actually be confusing. You can actually think that someone who's being influenced by demons is a worshshiper of Jesus. But just because you get the name of Jesus correctly and you actually acknowledge who he is does not mean that you have surrendered your entire life to Jesus.

You must believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, that he died on the cross for your sins. You've got to acknowledge that you need a savior and allow him to be the lord of your life. That's not what these demons are doing. They recognize the authority of Jesus. They recognize that Jesus has all authority over every single one of them. And it's in this place that they are terrified that Jesus is going to torment them, send them to the abyss that we read about in the book of Revelation, that one day the devil and his army of demons are going to be locked up forever. They know that Jesus has this authority. Now, there's always a pause in the story and say, "Well, why does God allow demons to still operate today?" Can I give you the answer to that one? I don't know.

I just know he's God. He has all authority and he has a plan. You read the book of Revelation. We know who wins every single time. It's Jesus. So, I'm not going to pretend to theologically break down for you the orientation of why God allows us to still fight with the demonic today, but to say you have all victory and authority over them in the name of Jesus. So, he allows you to step onto the shore. He allows you to overcome the enemy, but it's in this place, verse 29, he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. So, Jesus, he told this demon to leave, and he didn't leave. Have you ever done that before? For many a time this demon had seized him. Luke's a doctor. He's saying this causing seizures. It's causing something physical. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demons into the desert. Jesus then

asked him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Legion." Verse 30. This is so important because the name Legion is actually the title that's given to a group of soldiers in the Roman army. it'd be about 6,000 soldiers. So, this demon says that actually it's not one of us. There's an army of us, which makes a lot more sense of why this man was being so tormented. His name was Legion, for many demons had entered him. And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. Now, a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged Jesus to let them enter these. So, Jesus gave them permission. Then the demons, verse 33, came out of the man, entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.

Now the demons know who Jesus is. Do you? The demons know who has full authority. Do you? Now these demons did not submit their lives to Jesus. They just did not want to be tormented by Jesus. The demons are so organized, they actually consider themselves to be like an army, which we read about in Ephesians chapter 6 when we discover we're not fighting against flesh and blood. We are fighting against principalities. We start to see a ranking here. There is a ranking in the in the spiritual world that we've got to be aware of. And the devil is so organized that he's seeking to destroy God's people. Listen, if the devil can be organized, it's time for us as a church to be united and a little more organized.

Some of us just flippantly wake up and say, "It is what it is. I'm going to go about my day, God. If it's your will." Some of us even buy into the Middle Eastern demonic thought of karma that if it if I'm good, then good will happen. If I'm bad, then bad will happen. Let me tell you, it's time for us to live out the kingdom. There is a real king, and he's the king of all kings. And the devil is a liar. And he's organized. And we've got to be organized. We've got to be equipped in who God says we are as saints and then you got to go out and be unleashed as an army of God. It's time for you to do what Jesus did. Go where Jesus would go. He was willing to step into the gentile region. That tells us a lot about Jesus. He didn't stay stuck at the temple. He didn't stay stuck at the synagogue. This is where he shows us what kind of person

he is. He was willing to take the territory. The kingdom suffers violent and the violent take it by force. You're willing to go through the storm. You're willing to go through something because you know that this is not my home. I I'm just living out the kingdom because one day I'm not going to have to worry about any of this. Go read the last two chapters of the Bible. One day he's going to wipe away every tear. One day you're going to have a perspective and realize that one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day and what you thought was long was actually short. So why why don't we make the most of our lives? God has a good plan for you. He wants you to know that you have all authority over all sickness, all demons, and you have all authority over over the devil. I will tell you this today that the devil wants to leave you in the same place that he left this man. Broken, depressed, isolated, tormented, not just

a little bit, but over and over day and night. This was a man who was just living in torment. Demons are not concerned about you. They just want you to be tormented. They want you to be confused. They want you to live in fear. Demons will use whomever is available. So, we've got to be really careful that somehow we think that we can't be used. Demons will find themselves through movies. They'll find themselves through through trinkets that you received generationally. What was happening to your parents and your grandparents can be passed on to you. This is this is biblical. The torment that you're going through might be the same torment that your parents went through. But by the blood of Jesus Christ, you can break those curses and start a new.

You can break those strongholds and you can operate in the kingdom of God and allow Jesus to have all authority over you. We get a glimpse of how bad this was with this man when when in the book of I think it's Mark chapter 5 where it says there was 2,000 pigs that went over the hillside. Listen, I'm sure a lot of people judge this man as just being completely crazy. But when you see so many pigs and so many demons that enter, it reminds me that the people around you right now are going through a lot more than you can see. You can't see it. That person that's depressed, that person that's addicted, that person that's far from God right now, they're being tormented. And it's time for us to take back under the authority. You are made for more. Paul reminded Timothy in 2 Timothy 1. He says, "For God gave us a

spirit, not of fear." God will never cause your life to live in complete brokenness and fear and uncertainty. God gave you the Holy Spirit, which is a spirit of power and love and self-control. Another translation takes that word self-control and it's a sound mind. That's what God wants for you today. He wants you to operate and live in the kingdom. This is practical. I'll tell you as I grow and understand this authority. It's absolutely overwhelmingly amazing. Over and over, you know, I've had an issue with sleep for years, even decades of my life. Decades, I could not sleep well. My wife's got the gift that she puts her head on a pillow, she's asleep. If we play a movie, she's she's probably only seen one or two movies in her life because we play a movie, she is asleep like five minutes into the movie. It

doesn't matter how good the movie is or how good-looking the actress, she falls asleep. I'm the opposite. I do have ADHD de I've diagnosed it myself just because look at the squirrel over there. But let's just say this. I can't sleep. My whole life I struggled with sleep until I started studying the kingdom. And as I studied the kingdom, I realized I have all authority. And do you know when the demons love to work the most? At night. And they won't call themselves demons. I'll tell you, I I worry about some of you and I haven't emailed you back or text you and you tell me all your problems and your problem becomes my problem and my blood pressure goes up and my heart starts racing and at night I can't sleep because of you.

I mean, for years that was that's what went through my mind and stress and burnout and brokenness until I realized I had all authority. And then you know what I started to do? Take God at his word. And I would just confess out loud, "Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, your son who came in the flesh and died on the cross for my sins. I rebuke any devil or demons trying to keep me awake at night. I just want to receive the rest that you said in your word. I receive it tonight." The first time I prayed that prayer out loud. I'm not even kidding you. The next day I told my wife, "You won't believe it. I prayed this out loud and I got such a sound night of sleep. Let me give a real life example and then I've got to stop. But just last night, just last night there was there was a a neighbor up above ours where we're below, they're up above our property.

And so any noises up above go down to our house and there was a dog in a crate whimpering and whining so loud it was unfamiliar. It wasn't a normal sound at our house and it was like for hours and hours and hours and we're all talking about this like, "Oh, it better not be when we go to sleep, you know, and we know that there's a guest staying at the house, the owner's our way." And so there's a guest there. They locked up their dog outside whimpering, whining on a Saturday night before Sunday when I want to preach about the kingdom. And you know, we lay down in bed, I'm laying down, my wife is on the left, and it's dark. It's pitch black. And all we hear is this dog whimpering and whining [Music] like demonic noises. Just whimpering, whining loud. I tell you this, I didn't debate. I didn't stay up for hours. I

just out loud said, "In the name of Jesus Christ, I rebuke any demon that's trying to keep me up or distract me from tomorrow. I will have sound sleep tonight. I receive it tonight. Right now, you just shut the mouth of that dog right now in the name of Jesus Christ. Shut it up, Lord. I'm asking you, Lord. Jesus, just tell that dog to be quiet right now. I said that and I'm just petitioning heaven in the dark and I get done and just yelling what I'm doing and my wife just so politely afterwards said, "Amen." I will tell you, you could ask her right there. Did you hear that dog? Come on. That dog shut his mouth after that. Listen, I know that sounds really silly to some of you, but I want you to know this. Our God is practical, but you've got to put it into practice.

You can't just learn this on Sunday mornings. You've got to go get in the word yourself. And I know some of you are like, "I'm new to church. I'm new to the Bible. I don't know how to read this." Start somewhere. Where do I start? Start with Jesus. Where's Jesus? Well, there's 66 books in the Bible. There are four that record the life of Jesus Christ. while here on earth. And of those four is Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Pick one of those four. Any of them. Mark's the shortest one. So, if you're looking for an easy read, go to Mark. John is a little different than Matthew, Mark, and Luke. So, if you like things that are different, go to John. If you want to just start with one, start with Matthew and then keep reading. Mark, Luke, and John.

That's the starting place. That's not the end. This This is amazing, right? This is a treasure chest. But if you're confused by this, that's because this was written over a 1500 year period of time on numerous continents with the same theme. This is God's word. This is his story. And when your story collides with his story, it changes everything. Let me just ask you today as we conclude our time. Jesus has always been enough. He is enough. And he will forever be enough. He's the beginning and the end. Today, I want to ask you, do you know Jesus? and not just know Jesus in your head. Have you believed him in your heart where it moves you? And as I invite the band up here right now, this is the most serious thing I could ask you. Would you put Jesus first in your life? Jesus said, "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these

things will be added to you." That's the storms. That's the demoniac. All these things. I realize there's movement around right now because we're just about done and people are taking their positions. But I want to just ask you this. Have you believed in Jesus? It changes everything. Absolutely everything. If you want to receive Jesus as the king of your life, the savior of your life, you can do it right now. Please don't wait for another day. There's no better day than today. Today is the day of salvation. Just with every eye closed right now, I want this to be a serious decision from your heart. If that's you and you're saying, "I'm going to say yes to Jesus." Would you boldly put your hand up in the air and keep it up? If that's you, you're saying, "I

want to receive Jesus today." And keep it up. And then if you have your hand up, could you look up at me? Everybody else, keep your eyes closed. Come on. I see you. God has always seen you. From this day forward, just keep doing that. Say, "Yes." This changes everything. You're forgiven. You're loved. And you've been given the gift of eternity. So proud of you. Is there anybody else here today? I just want to see your hands. Yes. Come on. Do you see me? Just shake your head yet. Okay, man. God sees you. He loves you. And he wants to anoint you with the power you didn't know was possible. When you believe in Jesus, you receive God himself, the Holy Spirit. So from this day forward, invite the Holy Spirit to fill you and change you. Man, God has a great plan for your life. You're so loved. Anyone else today? Just right

where you are, hands nice and high. I want to see who it is. Come on. Oh yes. Come on. Yes. Let's go. I tell you, God's plans for your life are better than yours. It's time to surrender your plans and submit fully to him. For you, your family. I will start confessing anything you've ever done to the Lord. Break off any generational ties and start accepting who you are in Jesus. Now, you're a man of God. You're a child of God. And if people have a problem with that, you tell them to talk to your heavenly father. That's who you are now. You've believed in Jesus, King of all kings. He's for you. So proud of you. Anybody else?

Now, you can be saved and forgiven of your sins and still stuck with demonic attachments. It's time to be delivered from all demons. If you got stuff in your home that you know you should get rid of, get rid of it. Trash it. It has no value in eternity. If you're listening to stuff that's not making you a better child of God, quit listening to it. This is time for us to start putting this into practice. So Lord, I pray over your church today and say, God, light us on fire with your Holy Spirit. Oh, burn, Lord, that the world would see who you are. That wherever we would go, the kingdom goes with us. Give us a spirit of courage, God, that we would step into the unknown. That even when we're faced with demons, we will not be afraid, God. But we would declare in the name of Jesus Christ, you have all authority.

That we would receive the promise that you gave to us because of the cross of Jesus Christ. You defeated the devil. We receive right now the same power that rose you from the grave, the Holy Spirit. And today, if you said yes to Jesus by raising your hand, it's time for you to start praying often. Prayer is conversation with God. It's listening. It's talking. God does not require the right words or even eloquent words. He just requires a sincere heart. And if you're sincere today in your heart right now, would you just ask the Lord to forgive you of your sins? Would you ask to be born again that you have started a new life in Jesus Christ? This is called repentance. You change your mind. You change your life. God now seals you with the promise of his guarantee, the Holy Spirit, God himself. You may not always feel it. You may not always know it, but God is with

you. He will never leave you, nor will he forsake you. Keep trusting in God. Call out on the name of Jesus. So Lord, today, may there be a renewal in our hearts that from this day forward, your kingdom has come. Let us pray it. Let us operate in it and believing your best in Jesus name. Amen. Amen.