MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/29/2026
8:55 AM
My
Worship Time Focus: “The
Damning Power of Sin”
Bible
Reading & Meditation Reference:
Luke
8:36-39
Message of the verses: “ 36 Those who had
seen it reported to them how the man who was demon-possessed had been made
well. 37 And all the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the
surrounding district asked Him to leave them, for they were gripped with great
fear; and He got into a boat and returned. 38 But the man from whom
the demons had gone out was begging Him that he might accompany Him; but He
sent him away, saying, 39 "Return to your house and describe
what great things God has done for you." So he went away, proclaiming
throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.”
“In stark contrast to the delivered maniac, the
response of the sane people tragically illustrates sins’ power over the
lost. It binds them to the truth and
causes them to hate it and reject all evidence of it. They obstinately cling to their false
illusion of well-being because love of iniquity dominates them. Jesus had performed an undeniable miracle
that clearly manifested His absolute power over the supernatural realm and to
deliver people from the forces of hell.
“The herdsmen, as noted above, who
had seen Jesus cast the demons out of him and into the pigs, reported to
the people how the man who was demon-possessed had been made well (or
delivered). They heard the complete
story in all its details. Some argue
that sinners will be convinced if they
see a powerful enough miracle, but niable evidence of the saving power of the
Lord Jesus Christ. It is hard to envision more dramatic, compelling proof than
His casting thousands of demons out of the two maniacs. But so powerful was sin’s hold on them
that instead of believing in Jesus, all the
people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him
to leave them. Their hearts were
like the hardpacked roadside soil in the parable of the sowers (cf. chap. 20 of
this volume), which the seed of the gospel cannot penetrate.
“Like reiterates that the reason the people wanted Jesus to leave was
that they were gripped with great fear.
Knowing that they were in the presence of God, loving their sin
(John 3:19) and blinded by Satan (2 Cor. 4:4), they wanted only to be rid of
the one whose presence intimidated and terrified them. There was not a word of thanks for delivering
them from the danger the man had poses; astonishing they saw Jesus as an even
greater threat to their sinful lifestyle.”
(John 3:19)
“19 And this is the judgment: the light has come
into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because
their works were evil.”
(2 Cor. 4:4)
“4 In their case the god of this world has
blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the
gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
“Thus they
preferred a maniac to the Son of God; to be terrified by Satan rather than
offer reverence to God; to endure te presence of demonic danger rather than the
Lord of life. David Gooding writes,
What a sad
comment on man’s fallen and unregenerate state it is, tat man should feel more
at home with demons, than with Christ who has power to cast out demons.
Yet is is
often so, Men who would try to help a criminal or a drunkard, or, if they should
prove incorrigible, would want the one imprisoned and the other put into
hospital, find it embarrassing and somewhat frightening if the criminal is
saved by Christ and turned into a sane, wholesome, regenerate disciple (According
to Luke [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987],146)
“In a tragic reflection of their missed
opportunity, Jesus got into a boat and returned to Capernaum. There is no record that He ever returned to
their region.
“But the story, mercifully, does not
end there. The man from whom the
demons had gone out was begging Jesus that he might accompany Him. His willingness to forsake all and follow
Christ shows that he had been delivered from his sin as well as from the
demons. Jesus was his Lord, Savior, and
deliverer, and he naturally wanted to go with Him and learn from Him. But Jesus had a different plan and sent
him away, saying, ‘Return to your house and describe what great things God has
done for you.’ Since he knew enough
to be saved, he knew enough to be a missionary.
The priority for him was not further training, since he was the lone
witness to the gospel in that region.
Here is an example of God’s grace in the face of man’s rejection. Though they had rejected Him, Jesus had not
totally rejected them. In obedience to
the Lord’s command, the man went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city
what great things Jesus had done for him.
Jesus had commanded him to tell others what God had don, and he told
them what Jesus had done, since Jesus is God.
As a result of his testimony to Jesus’ power, everyone who heard him was
amazed (Mark 5:20).”
(Mark 5:20)
“20 And he went away and began to proclaim in the
Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.”
“This remarkable story teaches
several important truths. First and
foremost, it reveals Christ’s absolute authority over the demonic realm. It also illustrates the truth that the good
news of the gospel is for Gentiles, as well as Jews (cf. Matt. 12:18, 21).”
(cf. Matt. 12:18, 21)
“18 "Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.”
“21 and in his name the Gentiles will hope."
“The
passage also demonstrates that God graciously reaches out to those who reject
Him. Finally, the story of the maniac
who became a missionary illustrates that it is the responsibility of all
Christians to tell others of how Jesus delivered them from the power of sin
(Matt. 28:19-20).”
(Matt. 28:19-20)
“19 Go therefore and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe
all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of
the age."
9/29/2026
9:48 AM
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