Speaker: Rev. Mikha S. Toding
Matthew 8:28-34
8:28 When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon–possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way.
8:29 And suddenly they cried out, saying, "What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?"
8:30 Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding.
8:31 So the demons begged Him, saying, "If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine."
8:32 And He said to them, "Go." So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.
8:33 Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon–possessed men.
8:34 And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region.
Jesus healed the demon-possessed men in the country of the Gergesenes, the place of the Gentiles.
The demon-possessed men came out of the tombs, referring to the place where there is lengthening of the hand of death as follows:
Matthew 8:28-34
8:28 When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon–possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way.
8:29 And suddenly they cried out, saying, "What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?"
8:30 Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding.
8:31 So the demons begged Him, saying, "If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine."
8:32 And He said to them, "Go." So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.
8:33 Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon–possessed men.
8:34 And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region.
Jesus healed the demon-possessed men in the country of the Gergesenes, the place of the Gentiles.
The demon-possessed men came out of the tombs, referring to the place where there is lengthening of the hand of death as follows:
- Romans 6:23
6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The place to practice sinful deeds as follows:- Sins concerning eating-drinking and sexuality.
- Gambling.
- Movie theater.
- Wickedness.
- Sins concerning eating-drinking and sexuality.
- Isaiah 22:16-19
22:16 ‘What have you here, and whom have you here, That you have hewn a sepulcher here, As he who hews himself a sepulcher on high, Who carves a tomb for himself in a rock?
22:17 Indeed, the LORD will throw you away violently, O mighty man, And will surely seize you.
22:18 He will surely turn violently and toss you like a ball Into a large country; There you shall die, and there your glorious chariots Shall be the shame of your master’s house.
22:19 So I will drive you out of your office, And from your position he will pull you down.
The place where service and ministry to God are done without the true Teaching Word.
The service and ministry only prioritize physical matters.
Matthew 23:27
23:27 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.
For example, the service and ministry of the Pharisees were as the tombs. It is called tombs service system that goes toward perdition. Such place will be the place to hide sins. - Exodus 14:10-12
14:10 And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD.
14:11 Then they said to Moses, "Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt?
14:12 "Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, 'Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians?' For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness."
Rejecting the cross experience together with the Lord and choosing to enjoy the amenities of Egypt that refers to the things as follows:- Lie sin.
Isaiah 28:15
28:15 Because you have said, "We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol we are in agreement. When the overflowing scourge passes through, It will not come to us, For we have made lies our refuge, And under falsehood we have hidden ourselves." - Flesh lust that brings death.
Romans 8:4-6
8:4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
8:5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
8:6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. - Being extravagant with money until one becomes unfaithful as the enemy of God.
James 4:4
4:4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
- Lie sin.
- Romans 6:3-4
6:3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
6:4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
It is in the true water baptism that gives us new life in righteousness. The death cannot rule over our life.
John 5:24
5:24 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.
The process of having the true water baptism is as follows:- Believing in Jesus or receiving Him through hearing the Word solemnly.
- Repenting.
- Believing in Jesus or receiving Him through hearing the Word solemnly.
- Proverbs 11:4
11:4 Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, But righteousness delivers from death.
Obedience in the shepherding or being shepherded to the true teaching Word. The process of being shepherded is with perseverance in doing three main services. We have the sanctification done by the Word sharper than any two-edged sword. We are sanctified from these things:- I John 3:14
3:14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.
The sin of envy, jealousy, and hatred to other people inside or outside the church. We do not follow them in their hatred, even the hatred without any reason. - II Kings 4:40
4:40 Then they served it to the men to eat. Now it happened, as they were eating the stew, that they cried out and said, "Man of God, there is death in the pot!" And they could not eat it.
False teachings. We keep hold fast the true teaching Word whatever risk may come. The important one is we are delivered from the death. - Numbers 16:31-33
16:31Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them,
16:32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods.
16:33 So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly.
Murmuring or disputing.
12:11 "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.
As a result, we can live in righteousness and we can become the true witness. We can defeat the death with our true testimony. - I John 3:14
- Hebrews 5:7
5:7 who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear,
The suffering without any sin or the sprinkling of blood. For example, Jesus was willing to come into the world as a human. He suffered until He died on the cross and He got the victory over enemies even over the death.
Experiencing the sprinkling of blood, we can increase our surrendering and worshiping to God. Such experience is not to make us deny God.
The result of experiencing the sprinkling of blood is as follows:- Hebrews 5:9
5:9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,
The Lord becomes the author of eternal salvation; He delivers us from the death. - Hebrews 5:10
5:10 called by God as High Priest "according to the order of Melchizedek,"
The Lord makes us His priests forever until the end of our life. If God permits us to die, the death cannot rule over us.
Revelation 20:4, 6
20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
20:6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. - Revelation 21:4
21:4 "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."
The Lord renews our life up to the renewal in New Jerusalem until the death cannot rule over us anymore. Our body, soul, and spirit are changed until we are glorified together with Him in New Jerusalem.
- Hebrews 5:9