The God of All Situations

Sermon Date: 10-Mar-2012
Venue: All Saints Church, Liverpool NSW Australia

Has there been a situation in your life when you tried all you could but it was too difficult to manage? Today we will see a couple of situations where the disciples did not consider Jesus as the first option.

After a marathon week of healing the sick, curing many inflicted with diseases and preaching a series of parables, Jesus is looking for a place to take a breather (Mark 4:35). Apostle Mark gives us some beautiful word pictures to help us immerse ourselves in this story. Probably tired from the hectic week, Jesus requested His disciples to get a boat ready to go to the other side of the lake. Very soon after only a short while into the journey a huge storm came up almost threatening to sink the boat. Jesus was sleeping in the stern with his head on a pillow. It would seem that that the disciples tried to manage on their own to steady the boat, perhaps some of them would have expected Jesus to come up anyway from the stern of the boat to rescue them from 'perishing' (Luke 8:24), some even rebuked Jesus for carelessly sleeping while the disciples were perishing (Mark 4:38). Only God can command the wind to remain still and the sea to be calm. When the triune God created the heaven, earth, ocean, sea and the land, He created them by simply speaking. There was disorderliness, God spoke and there was orderliness.

When disaster strikes our first port of call ought to be Jesus Christ. He is ever present in our lives, in our families, at our work place and all situations. We should tap him and wake him up. He is never too tired to help you. The second lesson we learn from this story is that when disaster strikes, disorderliness sets in, God must be allowed to speak and only then we can see quietness and calmness in our situation. The experienced fishermen could not predict the weather and they could not maneuver their boats. Our knowledge, our contacts, our stars and our destiny cannot save us from perishing only God can.

Furthermore, when they reached the other side of the lake to a country known as Gerasenes, Jesus stepped out of the boat and immediately met a man who was possessed with a legion of demons. If we read this story as if it were someone else’s son, somebody's brother or another person, then it may have less of an impact. Let's read as if this man is one of our sons or our brothers or even one of our close friends. Can you imagine this person living in the caves, unclothed, bound in shackles and chain, cutting himself with sharp stones, crying and shouting all night? No one could subdue him. The very reason Satan is here in the world is to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10) us, this man has become a complete tool for Satan. It is ironic that even the demons knew who Jesus was (Mark 5:7), sometimes even Jesus' disciple did not know who Jesus was (Mark 4:41). As we read this section of the Gospel we can see that only Jesus has the power over Satan and demons, Jesus can thwart their plans and He can torment them (Mark 5:7). Jesus gave permission to the demons to be cast into the herd of pigs, thus saving the demon possessed man. A minute ago this man was in a pathetic condition, utter disorder in his physical and mental state. Once he experienced the power of Jesus Christ, he was set free, he sat at the feet of Jesus fully clothed and in his right mind (Mark 5:15).

What a transformation when Jesus takes control of the situation? It makes me wonder where his family members might have been, did he have parents living at that time, did they disown him, what about his brothers and sisters or his friends? What a lonely person he would have been. Satan had stolen everything from this man. The whole country of Gerasenes were against Jesus, they wanted Him to leave, probably for making the two thousand and odd pigs drown in the lake. Whatever may be the case, Jesus is not welcome when people choose to live in darkness, but the man who was healed does not want to let go Jesus. This is the power of Jesus, you become attached to His unfailing love. He came to save sinners. The fully healed man is now commissioned by Jesus to proclaim the good news to the ten cities of the Gentiles on the east of Jordon including Damascus in Syria. Jesus has you and me (the gentiles) in His mind, he can make the impossible to make it possible for you to be saved. The ten Greco-Roman cities were blessed by this man’s teaching, the man who was healed by Jesus, his name is unknown but is works speaks even today. May these ten cities re-lives the times of Gospel proclamation once again.

What do we learn from these two stories? Firstly, Jesus is the God of orderliness, He mends our chaotic lives and gives peace and calm, wherever there is disaster and turmoil, he wants us to trust him to rescue us. Secondly, Jesus must be given a chance to have His say in our situation in order to find a lasting peace. Thirdly, Satan's purpose is to steal, kill and destroy you but Jesus came to give you life, life in abundance. Finally, when Jesus changes you, you will be of a right mind, clothed in righteousness ready to proclaim the wondrous things He has done in your life.

Prayer:
Father in Heaven, we have taken our eyes off you in our own lives, in our families and in all of our situations. We now want to call upon Jesus’ name always to rescue us. Our lives have been disorderly because we tried to manage it on our own but now we want to seek your help. Change our lives, clothe us in righteousness, make us the people whom you want us to be. This we ask in Jesus mighty name! Amen!