1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
Hebrews 12:1-4
Run the race, Child of God. Heaven awaits us one day. In the meantime, let us run the race by:
**Living the life God has given you (1)
**Looking to Jesus (2)
**Following the example of Jesus (3-4)
**Running the race for the joy that is awaiting (2)
34 When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, 35 and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 36 Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. 37 Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.
Luke 8:34-37
The account of the demon-possessed man in Luke 8 takes an interesting turn in verses 34-37. You’d think the townspeople would celebrate this miracle. This man had been a blight on their community for years. And now He had been cured completely by the Savior. Instead, they were afraid and asked Jesus to leave.
Sometimes people prefer familiar misery to unfamiliar freedom. Change—even positive change—can be unsettling. The presence of holiness can be uncomfortable when we’re accustomed to compromise.
Jesus honored their request and began to leave. He doesn’t force Himself on anyone.
But the healed man? He begged to go with Jesus. Who could blame him? Jesus had given him his life back.
Yet Jesus had different instructions: “Return to your own house and tell what great things God has done for you.” The same command is given to Christians in our time. Christ has saved us, sanctified us, and set us free through His grace. May we tell others the wonderful things that God has done for us.
7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith. 8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because sheconsidered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. 13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a istance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
Hebrews 11:7-16
36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
Hebrews 11:36-40
Let us consider three thoughts from Hebrews 11 today:
**At times, faithful people are empowered by God to do great things
**At times, faithful people are empowered by God to endure great suffering
**God’s people believe it by faith before it is received.
The Bibles teaches us the following thought; “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” (2nd Timothy 4:3) This powerful prophesy perfectly describes a growing segment of the church today. There are some who desire to fit the Bible to their convictions rather than allowing the Bible to shape their convictions.
The Word of God is our standard and our rule of faith. We should order our lives by its teachings and not seek to force our own preferences upon the Scriptures. From the Bible, the believer derives their core beliefs and doctrine. We can know the truth and it will set us free. (John 8:32)
It is important for Christians to know what they believe and why they believe it. For instance, why do we believe in Jesus? The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is a good place to begin. Jesus died, was buried, and rose again. He predicted His death, burial, and resurrection. Who else could do such a thing but God alone?
Why do we believe in the resurrection? The first reason is the eyewitness testimony of the risen Savior. (1 Corinthians 15) There were many witnesses (up to 500) to Jesus resurrection. Also, many of those who encountered the resurrected Savior were willing to give their lives for their commitment to the truth that Jesus was raised from the dead. Ultimately, we believe that Jesus is alive by faith. (Hebrews 11:1-6) The risen Savior is the foundation and the heart of Christian belief.
May we always be ready to give an answer for our beliefs. But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect (1st Peter 3:15)
13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Colossians 1:1-14
The Greater Force
The account found in Luke 8 isn’t primarily about demons—it’s about the supremacy of Christ. He is greater than every force of darkness. He is greater than our problems, our fears, our doubts, and our sins.
This is why believers in Christ need not fear demonic possession. The Spirit of God dwells within us, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Light and darkness cannot coexist in the same space.
But this protection isn’t automatic for everyone. It comes through a relationship with Jesus Christ—through turning from sin and trusting in His finished work on the cross. He didn’t just defeat demons during His earthly ministry; He defeated sin, death, and Satan himself through His crucifixion and resurrection.
30 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. 31 And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.32 A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission. 33 When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.
Luke 8:30-32
The Encounter That Changes Everything
The man among the tombs had a life that seemed beyond hope. The community had tried everything. Nothing worked. He had suffered “for a long time.”
The demons recognized Christ immediately. They even tried to intimidate Him by using His full title: “Jesus, Son of the Most High God.” It was like a tiny dog yapping at a grizzly bear—all noise, no threat.
The demons couldn’t stand in His presence. They begged not to be sent into the abyss. Jesus, demonstrating His complete authority, sent them into a herd of pigs that then rushed down a steep bank into the lake and drowned.
When the townspeople came to investigate, they found the formerly demon-possessed man “sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.”
This is the power of an encounter with Christ. Where there was chaos, there is now peace. Where there was nakedness and shame, there is now dignity. Where there was insanity, there is now soundness of mind.
Bring your mess to Jesus today. He will forgive your sin, redeem your past, and cleanse your unrighteousness. God is able!
1Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. 4 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead. 5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Hebrews 11:1-6
Have Faith In God……
**Faith means believing even though we can’t see or experience it through our senses. (1)
**Faith is the means of salvation through Jesus Christ. (2) (6)
30 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. 31 And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.
Luke 8:30-31
Modern Doorways to Darkness
In our contemporary world, many people treat spiritual matters like entertainment. Tarot cards become party games. Horoscopes are daily reading. Mediums promise connection with deceased loved ones. New Age practices promise enlightenment and peace.
But here’s the uncomfortable question: What if these aren’t as harmless as we’ve been led to believe?
The ancient Israelites were explicitly warned against consulting mediums and practicing divination. This wasn’t arbitrary religious restriction—it was protection. These practices open doors that are difficult to close, inviting influences that don’t have our best interests at heart.
Even the seemingly benign practice of “emptying your mind” through certain meditation techniques can be spiritually dangerous. Our minds were created by God to be filled with truth, beauty, and goodness—not emptied to become vulnerable to whatever might fill the void.
The wisdom isn’t to live in fear, but to live with discernment. Why would we waste time and resources on counterfeits when we have access to the genuine article—the living God who speaks through His Word and His Spirit?
10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. 14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. 15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: 16 “This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” 17 Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” 18 And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.
Hebrews 10:10-18
Jesus is our great, perfect, ultimate sacrifice. Through Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross, forgiveness and salvation are granted to all who believe in Him. Jesus is the author a new, perfect, eternal covenant based on God’s grace.
The Mosaic Covenant sacrifices could never fully remove sin and guilt. However, Jesus’ sacrifice gives full and complete redemption to the sinner. The writer of Hebrews spells this out in Chapter 10.
**Jesus Offered Himself (10)
**Jesus offered Himself Once For All (12-14)
**Jesus Purifies Us Through His Blood (14)
**We Are Forgiven On The Basis Of Jesus’ Sacrifice (17-18)
Three Biblical answers to life’s great questions…..
How did I get here? God created me His image.
Genesis 1:26-27Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
What is my purpose on this planet? I am here to glorify God and serve Him.
1 Corinthians 6:20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 Peter 4:11 If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
As a believer in Christ, where am I going? After I leave this planet, I am going to be with Jesus forever.
Revelation 21:1-6 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 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.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.
mrtonyfrench 