A Word about the Master of Temptation

 

Today I want to share a word about the master of temptation, as I comment on Matthew 4:1-11. This passage reads: 

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you,  and they will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’" Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Temptation is something we all face, and we usually face it daily.  Temptation is so common that we use it to sell products.  Remember the potato chip commercial that says “You can’t eat just one!”

We even use temptation to market our entertainment acts.  A mild example of this is the singing group “The Temptations.”

Leave it to the late Christian comedian Jerry Clower to come up with the most unusual example of temptation.  He said that one day he went by his uncle’s farm and saw a hog out in the field with a wooden leg. He stopped and asked his uncle about the pig.

Jerry’s uncle told him, “That pig is like a member of our family.  When our house burned down, he rushed in to save my grandmother.  When our little girl was drowning in the creek, he jumped in and saved her.  He’s just like a member of our family.” 

Jerry asked, “Why does he have a wooden leg?”

His uncle replied, “Son, when you have an animal of that quality, you eat him only one ham at a time!”

While we can use temptation to sell products, and while we can make light of it, the truth is that temptation is a serious problem that we all face.  The very fact that we resort to it so much for our own purposes shows us that temptation is powerful and that we often fall prey to it. 

We are tempted to sin in many ways, and none of us in our own power can resist temptation.  There is a Master of Temptation, however and we will see that Master at work today. He will show us the way out of temptation and if we follow Him and His example, we will be able ourselves to resist more effectively.

THE IDENTITY OF THE TEMPTER:

Everything except God has an origin and we know that good things come from God. Jesus said that good and bad cannot come from the same source. God can no more do an evil thing than can the shade of black become white. It will never happen. Evil also has an origin; it originated with Satan, and so did temptation. Knowing where temptation comes from helps us learn its purpose.

Satan was Lucifer; He was the beautiful “Day Star” of Heaven. He was the archangel, the most privileged servant of God who played beautiful music to glorify God. Sadly, for all concerned, he became proud and so he rebelled against God. Because of this he was banished from heaven.

Now, in his bitterness and anger, Satan wants to cause pain. Satan’s response to this conflict was to become bitter and he wants his revenge against God and to hurt Him. He wants to hurt God through turning God's highest creation, humankind, away from Him.  His main tool for this desperate and dastardly plot is temptation.

His main tactic is not control or possession, but temptation. This is why the Bible calls him a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. He is a roaring lion because he is defeated and toothless, and he’s trying to scare people into siding with him against God. Like many dogs, his bark is worse than his bite; but he can entice or scare God's people into sin, then he can hurt God. And that's his real intent!

THE OPPORTUNITY OF THE TEMPTER:

Why did Satan decide to tempt Jesus at this time? Was it because Jesus was in a weakened situation? Was he kicking someone when they were down? No!

In fact, Jesus was in a spiritually strong condition. He had just been baptized and heard His Father’s approval. He was completing a fast and the purpose of a fast is to grow closer to God. Jesus may have been closer to God later in His life and ministry, but I would argue that He had never yet been so close to God as when He was in the midst of this fast.

In fact, in Matthew 6, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught:

When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their fac-es to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is un-seen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Fasting is tough, physically, but it is revitalizing, spiritually!

Satan likes to try to play hardball because he wants to be just like God. He wants to show his power and all through Bible he attacks people during/after spiritual highs:

• Adam and Eve in the garden
• Noah after the flood
• David after the covenant from God
• Elijah after Mount Carmel
• Paul and Silas during a powerful ministry in Philippi
• And Jesus after His baptism and affirmation of God from Heaven.

So, we need to be aware of this trend, this tactic. When things are going well we need to guard our hearts. Satan wants to score as many points as possible by knocking off a successful person, family, or church.

THE METHODS OF THE TEMPTER:

From this passage we can see some of the techniques that Satan uses. These are probably not inclusive of all his wiles, but they do seem to attack three basic motivations in our lives.

First, we see that Satan appeals to the flesh.  I call this the "Temptation to Greed."

We live in a world that is fascinated by physical possessions. As one pastor friend put it, "People try to get all that they can, put it in a can, put a lid on the can, and then sit on the lid!" This temptation makes our flesh our God and it denies that God is sufficient to care for our physical needs.

Next, we see that Satan appeals to our vanity. I call this the "Temptation to Gaudiness."

People have always seemed to crave fame and notoriety, and this especially is true today when we create stars of people who have never achieved anything but a mastery of manipulating social media. People want to be known; they just don't want to put in the effort to be known for something they have actually accomplished!

Finally, we see that Satan appeals to our spirit of rebellion. I call this the "Temptation of Glory."

We, like Satan, want to think we are "large and in charge," but there is only one Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent God of the universe. When Frank Sinatra sang about doing things "my way" he is singing the theme song of this temptation, the temptation to place ourselves on the throne of our life and not Almighty God.

Again, Satan may use many other techniques than the ones he tried with Jesus, and we must stay on the alert for his manipulations and deceptions. Satan is the chief of liars and we can never trust him!

THE DEFEAT OF THE TEMPTER:

Satan tried to play hardball with Jesus. He was going head-to-head, and hand to hand with God, and while he is powerful, his strength pales in comparison with God's. In fact, the contest wasn't even close. Jesus brushed away Satan with little effort, the way we might brush away a fly or a piece of lint on our jacket.

• The results of this contest present us with some important lessons: 
• Jesus had a relationship with His Father from His childhood.
• Jesus’ relationship with His Father continued into adulthood.
• Jesus’ relationship with His Father was fresh and renewed.
• Jesus made wise use of God’s Word in defeating Satan.

We can take advantage of these principles as well and if we do, we too can have victory.

Consider what Paul taught us in 1 Corinthians 10:13, which says, 

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

We need to remember, that while Satan is a cruel liar, God showed His true nature in that passage of Scripture and in Matthew 4:

• He gives us help to escape the tempter.
• He nurtures us and cares for us.
• Jesus showed us the way to use Scripture to overpower the tempter.

CONCLUSION:

In our text for today, we have seen how Jesus took Satan's best shot and walked away unscathed. He is truly the Master of Temptation, and if we let Him be our Master, then we can master temptation as well. If we turn to Him in times of test-ing, He will help us and, like Him, we can be victorious

A Word about Playing Taps

Today I want to share a word about playing Taps as I comment on Genesis 35:9-21. This passage reads: 

And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed him. And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel. And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins; And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land. And God went up from him in the place where he talked with him. And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone: and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon. And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Bethel. And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour. And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also. And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin. And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day. And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar.

I served on Active Duty in the Army in the Headquarters of the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, HI. One day I went into the office where the post public address system was operated.  Every Army post uses bugle calls to mark out the periods of the day, but at that time they had all been recorded on audio tape and projected over loudspeakers.  In any case, I noticed that the PA system had been labeled with a name: “Private Prewitt.”

Private Robert E. Lee Prewitt was the character played by Montgomery Clift in the movie “From Here to Eternity.”  Pruitt was a talented bugler assigned to the band at Fort Shafter, but he was also a skilled boxer.  After he blinded a man in a boxing match, he refused to box anymore, and was transferred to Schofield Barracks as a rifleman.  

The only time Prewitt played the bugle in the entire movie was when his best friend died in the post stockade. That evening, at lights out, he played Taps.  

The haunting notes of that tune always stir the soul, but on that occasion the clear crisp sound of the bugle would chill you to the bone.  You could feel Prewitt’s grief pouring out though the bell of that instrument.  He was grieving his lost friend, his lost career, his lost avocation, and the lost sight of his erstwhile opponent.  The emotion of that moment could rip the heart out of your chest.

Jacob faced a similar moment when he lost his beloved Rachel. Let’s consider from God’s Word how He dealt with that heart-rending event.

JACOB LOST HIS BELOVED:

Jacob loved Rachel like no other person on earth. He loved her better than his first wife, Leah, and Rachel was his soul mate. He had worked for Rachel’s father for fourteen years to earn the right to marry her, and his world revolved around her.

Jacob also loved Rachel’s children. His favorite was Joseph, but he loved them all. Rachel knew that God wanted Jacob to become a great nation, and she wanted to give him more and more children. Trying to give him one more child, she died while giving birth, but not before calling the baby, Benoni, or “Son of My Sorrow.” Jacob, out of his deep love for her, changed his name to Benjamin, or “Son of My Right Hand.”

Then, Jacob buried his beloved. He had no other choice. He could not hold her back; she was gone, and he had to let her go. So, he buried her, put a headstone on her grave, and then went on his way. It was all over.  Their love was finished.  Or was it?

JACOB GRIEVED HIS BELOVED:

Although the Bible does not explicitly say it, there can be little doubt that Jacob grieved Rachel. Humans long for what they have lost and like the father of the Prodigal Son, they want their beloved back. They wish they could turn back the clock for even a moment, like the line from the song, Me and Bobby McGee, says, “I’d trade all of my tomorrows for a single yesterday . . .” with the singer’s loved one. 

How do we know Jacob grieved Rachel? Because he grieved the reported “death” of his favorite son, Joseph, in Genesis 37:34-35:

And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.

My experience in ministry has shown that it is particularly difficult for a man to be widowed. Husbands usually die first, and men are often less emotionally resilient than women. Truth be told, many men really do need a woman to look after them, though this may be changing some as our culture develops.

Like Jacob, we, too, grieve our lost loved ones. It usually takes up to a year or more to adjust to the loss of a loved one. Often it can take much longer, and people can lapse into depression as they fixate on the loss of their beloved. It is as if they played Taps over and over and over again.

Jacob’s grief was all the worse because he probably had no hope of seeing Rachel again. He did not know all we do today because, while God had revealed Himself to Jacob, he did not have the full counsel of the entire canon of Scripture as we do today. Life after death was not assured at that time and Jacob probably felt that, once lost, Rachel was lost forever.

When death comes, it is all over.  We play Taps, relationships are finished, and that’s all she wrote. Or is it? Let’s consider what Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18:

But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

JACOB WILL SEE RACHEL AGAIN:

The early Christians had a similar problem to Jacob. They knew Christ was coming again for His people, but in the meanwhile, believers were dying. Where did they go?  Were they lost?  What happened to them? Paul, understanding their grief and confusion, wrote to the church at Thessalonica to help them.

Paul taught that Christians are not to grieve as those with no hope. We can and should grieve because we miss the departed, for this is part of the human condition. Christians, however, have a hope that others do not have. Our hope is in Jesus!

Jesus has saved us from our sins, and He will come again for His people. When He comes, He will also bring with Him those that have gone before. That means those who have gone before are safe with Him. A horn will play, but it won’t be playing Taps!

• There will be a shout.
• The archangel will announce that Jesus is coming.
• A trumpet will sound in victory.
• Jesus and all our loved ones will come for us.
• We who remain shall rise-up and meet them in the air.
• There will be a reunion such as the world has never seen.

I don’t know what the archangel’s horn will sound like, but I believe it will sound more like Charge than Taps!

CONCLUSION:

 For the Christian, we have the assurance that our loved ones are safe in the arms of God. They are not playing Taps in heaven, so, although we miss them, we should not be playing Taps continually for them on earth. One day, Jesus will come for us, with our beloved ones in His wake, to take us home to be with Him and them also. Will you rise-up to meet them? You can if you have Christ in your heart!

Every Blessing, 

Dr. Otis Corbitt

A Word about Our Master and Commander

Today I want to share a word about our Master and Commander as I comment on Matthew 28 verses 18-20. This very familiar passage reads:

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and lo I am with you always even until the end of the world. Amen.

From time-to-time people like to assert their authority and I've collected several stories to illustrate this but not most appealing side of human behavior. From the business world comes this story:

Employed by the Human Development Center of a corporation in the Midwest, a young lady trained employees in proper dress and etiquette. One day, as she was stepping onto the elevator, a man casually dressed in jeans and a golf shirt got on with her. Thinking of her responsibilities, she scolded, "Dressed a little casually today, aren't we?" The man replied, "Well, that is one benefit of owning the company.”

Police officers also exercise authority. One officer reported, "It was the end of the day when I parked my police van in front of the station. As I gathered my equipment, my K-9 partner, Jake, was barking and I saw a little boy staring in at me. 'Is that a dog you have back there?' he asked. 'It sure is,' I replied. Puzzled, the boy looked at me and then he looked at the dog and then he looked back at me and said, "What did he do?"

We all know that teachers must control their classrooms for learning to take place and that's why one child reported this after she had just finished her first week of school” "I'm just wasting my time," she said to her mother. "I can't read, I can't write, and they won't let me talk." 

Finally, there comes this story from the home front. A mild-mannered man was tired of being bossed around by his wife, so he went to a psychiatrist. This psychiatrist said he needed to build up his self-esteem and gave him a book on assertiveness, which he read. As soon as he had finished the book and confronted his wife. He pointed a finger in her face and said, 

"From now on, I want you to know that I am the man of this house, and my word is law. I want you to prepare me a gourmet meal tonight and when I am finished eating my meal, I expect a sumptuous dessert afterwards. Then after dinner you're gonna draw me my bath so I can relax and when I'm finished on my bath guess who's gonna dress me and comb my hair?”

“The funeral director,” interrupted his wife. 

We all like to exercise what little authority we may have but there is one person who has ultimate authority. He is Jesus our master and commander. Let's see his authority today.

FIRST, OUR MASTER AND COMMANDER HAS ALL AUTHORITY:

Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and because he is the sovereign ruler, he has all authority. This is what sovereignty means. Sovereignty means all authority. Our government in the United States is sovereign, but its powers are limited by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Jesus, however, is King and his authority is unlimited.

 One great advantage of the church serving the King of Kings and Lord of Lords is that his church also has authority. Some people think that Satan rules hell like God rules heaven, but this is not so. Jesus is ruler over all of these things. And that's why Jesus told Peter this about the authority of the church in Matthew 16:18-19, 

Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it, and I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

The authority of the Church doesn't come from what we do in church. It doesn't come from our worship or our worship music or even our pastors. The authority of the Church descends from our Lord. But not only that, but Jesus’s authority also extends to us personally.

We Americans are rebellious and we're individualist and we're proud. As an example, a kindergarten teacher, was observing her classroom of children while they drew. She asked one little girl, "What are you drawing?" The girl replied, "I'm drawing God." The teacher paused and said, "But no one knows what God looks like." And without missing a beat or looking up from her drawing, the little girl replied, “They will in a minute.”

We often forget that we too are under the authority of Jesus, and we can think we can do what we want, but we can't. 1 Corinthians 6: 20 says that we were bought with a price and therefore we should glorify God in our body and in our spirits which are the Lord's. They belong to God. We must to bow our knee to Jesus as our King, our Master and Commander is our Sovereign. He has all authority. And our Master and Commander sent us to all nations. 

OUR MASTER AND COMMANDER SENT US TO ALL NATIONS:

Jesus gave us a mission. He wants all people to have a saving knowledge of Him. He wants all people to understand the truth and be set free from the lies of Satan. He wants us as His Church and as His people to be the tools to make that happen. To do this, we must have power.

The old television show, Home Improvement, always had a joke about “more power,” but Acts 1.8 says that God’s people will receive more power when the Holy Spirit comes upon us, Then, we will be witnesses to Jesus in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Jesus knew we couldn't do this work on our own, so He sent us power to give us the ability to do this work.

Today we have the Holy Spirit. Today we have the entire Word of God, the entire Council of God's Word, the entire Canon. We have our own testimony of salvation and so much more. We all those things He gave us, because our task is huge, and our task is difficult. And to do this task, we must go outside our comfort zone.

We often think that Jerusalem meant our hometown or the disciples' hometown, but that's wrong. The disciples were from Galilee. was not their home field. And it's not our home field either. This world is not our home field, we are just passing through it. We never have any advantage here except the advantage that God gives us. 

So, our Master and Commander had all authority and he sent us to share the Gospel with all peoples. He also told us to do all things.

OUR MASTER AND COMMANDER TOLD US TO DO ALL THINGS:

Our Master and Commander also told us to do all things and to teach people all that He has taught us. So, we need to be “full gospel preachers”. I don't mean that in a Pentecostal sense. What I mean is that we need to preach the full counsel of the Word of God. We don't need to keep people in ignorance; we need them to know what the full richness of God's love is for us. 

You don't need to know very much to be saved. You just need to know that Jesus died for you, and He wants you to commit yourself to Him, that you need to repent of your sins and that He would take care of the rest. But we do need to know a lot about being a disciple. The Psalmist said we should sing with understanding so we must teach people the full gospel. 

So, what is the full gospel? Since we come to the Lord as a child. it can't be hard to understand. What we need to teach is that:

• The Son of Man came to seek and save that which was lost.
• That we need to love the Lord with all our hearts, souls, and mind and with all of our being.
• We need to love our neighbors as ourselves. 
• We need to obey the commands of Christ and we need to help people become disciples. 

Before we can help other people become disciples, we too must become disciples. Doctors were medical students first. Lawyers were flaw students first. Generals in the Army were first cadets first. Senior NCOs in the army began as privates. We must ourselves grow up to be disciples and we must be full gospel people before we are full gospel preachers. If we are not disciples ourselves, we can't make disciples. We can't lead by example if we don't know where we're taking people. We are not making disciples if we're disobeying our Lord and we really don't want to disobey our Lord, our Master and Commander, our King. Hebrews 10 :24 -27 says, 

And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as ye see the day approaching. For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries.

The one organization in the whole world that I'm afraid of is the Internal Revenue Service, not because I cheat on my taxes but, because I'm afraid of making mistakes. Some people do try to cheat on their taxes, and the IRS is there to find them and to bring them to justice. Many of those tax cheats live in fear that they will be found out. 

Our God wants us to obey Him. Jesus said if you love me, keep my commandments. We don't need to put ourselves in the position of becoming afraid of God because we have not done what He's asked us to do.

FINALLY, OUR MASTER AND COMMANDER IS ALWAYS WITH US:

In this passage we can see a final truth which is as, good thing for us: our master and commander is always with us. 

We often let our fears prevent us from obeying God. We are just ordinary people. We feel incapable of doing the tremendous ask that He has given us. Sometimes we try to duck that task and let someone else do it who we think are more qualified. Sometimes we say, "Hey, I'm no hero." 

Interestingly, I've actually known some heroes. There was a man by the name of Al. Al who served in the 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry, the old 3/4th Cav as is it was called in Vietnam. He wasn't in the country but for three months when he'd been wounded three times and sent home. He limped the rest of his days, but that didn’t prevent him from retiring as a senior NCO many years later. 

My first platoon sergeant when I was a brand-new platoon leader in the Army was a man by the name of Chuck. He won a Silver Star escorting a convoy in Vietnam with the 4th MP Company because he was the sole survivor of the escort team.

I once knew a senior NCO when I was serving in the headquarters of the 25th Infantry Division in the United States Army, who won a Medal of Honor in Vietnam.

I know a fellow by the name of Jeff who was a missionary, but who had to resign because of a tropical illness that he caught in Africa, sacrificing his body for the cause of missions.

And then there's William, William who was a martyr at the Jibla Baptist Hospital, killed by an Islamic terrorist while helping to heal people in a very impoverished area of the world. 

The truth is that each of these was an ordinary person:

• Al had a bad temper. A really bad temper.
• Chuck, had his own stubborn, crazy way of doing things. His nickname was Crazy Harold and he sort of was.
• Jeff had a fixation on a particular kind of theology. He was saved and a man of God, but he was fixated that if you didn't believe about a certain thing a certain way that your faith was flawed.
• Bill was a very mild, avuncular, unassuming man. He didn’t look like the popular image of a hero.

All these folks were heroes, but they were just real people, regular people. And they needed God's help to do the work that they did.

We can obey God because He's always with us. Jesus will never leave us, nor will He forsake us. He will always help us whenever we step forward for Him and He sent the comforter who will help us do the things He's asked to do.

An old recruiting poster says, “Uncle Sam wants you!” Well, Uncle Sam may not want you. He does not want me anymore as old as I am. But God wants us. Jesus, our Master and our Commander, wants us. So the question comes, are we obeying Him today? Are we allowing Him to be all authoritative in our life? Are we going to all peoples for the cause of the gospel? Are we doing all the things that Jesus asked us to do? Are we resting in the fact that God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is always with us? 

Are we obeying our Master and Commander today? 

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt

Word about the Master of Salvation

Today I want to share a word about the Master of the Salvation as I comment on Luke 24:13-49. Let’s begin by reading Luke 24:13-24:

And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. But their eyes were holden that they should not know him. And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad? And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people: And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done. Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre; And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive.  And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not. 

My dad was a very frugal man because he had grown up during the Depression era. I remember very clearly when my mother and father had a long debate one night about buying an electronic calculator so they could do their taxes.  It was sort of like buying a computer today because sone couples might debate buying an expensive computer. They were debating this purchase because my father was very frugal, and he liked to save money as well as other useful things. In fact, he never threw away a screw or a nut or a washer or anything that could be useful someday. 

My dad had a big wooden box where he had stashed all of fasteners. It was a big wooden ammunition crate that he had scavenged from somebody, somewhere. If he needed a screw or a nut for a project, he would get an old scrap of a cloth tarpaulin and he would lay that out. Then, he would tip that wooden box over, and he'd go through all those little items he had saved over many years until he found what he needed. Then he'd pack it all back up again until the next time.

My dad was good at saving things that might be useful someday, down in the future. Well, our Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ, came to seek and save that which was lost. He was the Master of Salvation as we will see in Luke 24. We began by reading verses 13 through 24 and seeing some surprised disciples.

FIRST, WE SEE SURPRISED DISCIPLES:

After the Crucifixion, the disciples were defeated, and they were demoralized. This actually began before the Crucifixion, because they had been so excited about celebrating Passover in Jerusalem. That was something so exciting that it was the highlight of their life up to that day. So, they were shocked, they were dismayed, they were upset and surprised, by Judas and his betrayal of Jesus.

They'd been frightened by His arrest and by His trial. And when He was crucified on the cross, they were more than surprised, and they were more than saddened. They were shattered. They saw something they never expected to see, and it just destroyed their faith. Because of their shattered faith, these disciples scattered to the four winds.

Some of them, like these two who went to Emmaus, left Jerusalem. Some of them were holed up in the upper room. The doors were shut and barred, and they were hiding out in a place they hoped was safe from the Jews and the Romans. Later on, we see in the Scriptures, that Peter decided, "I'm going fishing." When you are in trouble, “you go with what you know.” Peter was a fisherman, so he went back to what he was comfortable with. Thomas, the doubting disciple, just disappeared. Nobody knew where Thomas went. He had a bolt hole, and he went there to hide out.

Now, these two that were on the way to Emmaus were discussing these events when they were met by Jesus. They were talking about the events of the past week because that's what people do. When someone has a situation in their life, they talk about it. They tell their story until they're finished telling it. Then when they're finished telling it, they don't talk about it anymore. These two, these followers of Jesus, were doing just that, talking about what was happening.

When Jesus came upon them, Jesus said, "What's all this about?" They were surprised because surely, everybody knew what was going on in town. They looked at Jesus and they basically said, "You ain't from around here, are you?" He couldn’t be from Jerusalem, because everyone there knew what was happening.

Of course, Jesus knew what was happening as well, but Jesus wanted to use this as a teaching moment because they didn't understand what was happening. They had seen it with their own eyes. They had heard the stories from others, and they were at a loss, and they had no idea what these things meant. They were surprised.

• They were surprised by the betrayal.
• They were surprised by the trial.
• They were surprised by the scourging.
• They were surprised by the Cross.
• They were surprised by the Resurrection.

But, if we read verses 25-32, we see that Jesus had a superior explanation.

Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further. But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them. And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?

NEXT, WE SEE A SUPERIOR EXPLANATION:

Jesus is not only the Master of Salvation, but here we also see Him being the Master Teacher. Jesus was often called Rabbi, meaning “teacher,” and he wanted people to have a saving knowledge of him and to understand the truth. As He said in the scriptures, "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free."

These folks wanted to know the truth and they were genuinely confused. Today, many people are confused spiritually as well; even a cursory review of social media outlets will confirm that fact. But even before social media, there were plenty of spiritual ideas around in the world in any case.

The key element is that Jesus said, "You need to know the truth." Then He went to the beginning of Scriptures and started to teach them all that they should have already known. We need to remember that Jesus and the early church did not have the same total Bible that we have today. The Bible that they had was the Old Testament. Jesus said, in essence, "If you understand the Old Testament and you know me, you know everything you need to know to find salvation." Again, Jesus was saying, that those who know the truth will be set free. But what is the truth?

• Truth is not a philosophy of life.
• Truth is not an abstract concept.
• Truth is not a system of belief.
• Truth is not a list of principles.

Truth is much simpler than all these things. Jesus said very simply in John 14:6, “I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life.” So instead of complex theories, what they needed was the Savior.

They didn't need to understand all the reasons why the Jews rebelled against Jesus, and they didn’t need to understand the legal reasons why the Romans were the ones that had to put Jesus to death. They didn't need to understand the reason why God worked it out so that almost all known humanity at that time were responsible for the death of our Savior and Lord. What they had to know was there was a Savior who suffered and died for them. What they had to know was there was a Savior who rose from the dead for them and what they needed to know was a Savior who could warm their hearts. 

No doubt they were a little embarrassed at the situation they were in.  It's embarrassing when you don't recognize someone that you should know. These disciples were embarrassed, but what is more embarrassing than what they experienced is to cross over into eternity without recognizing your Savior. That's much worse than anything.

Next, let’s read verses 33-43:

And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them, Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread. And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it, and did eat before them.

WE ALSO SEE SCARED SINNERS:

What we see in the upper room were a group of scared sinners. To put their situation in context, we need to remember who these people were. We know what they became in the rest of the New Testament. We know their ministries. We know that they all died as martyrs for the cause of Christ. But at the time that we see them here, they were just regular ordinary people. None of these folks were what we today would call opinion leaders or influencers.  

They were nobody in particular and so when Jesus came in their midst, they were scared. They were scared because they finally understood He was different. He was the son of a carpenter, but He was also the Son of God. Because He was God, they were scared.

They also knew that they had really betrayed Him. All of them had run away. Thomas hadn't even come back yet. They were frightened. And frankly, we would have been frightened too, because they knew they were hopeless sinners in the presence of extreme Holiness. 

This situation is really not about the disciples, however. It is about Jesus coming to the disciples. They were nobody important. They were smelly fishermen, and they were rebellious people, and they were traitors, and they were scared, and they had run away and they had betrayed Him and yet Jesus came to them anyway. He saw fit to come in their midst and to talk to them and to bless them. What did He say when He came in? “Peace be unto you!” So, in the upper room we see some scared sinners, but we also see a sufficient Savior.  

Let’s read verses 44 through 49:

And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

FINALLY, WE SEE A SUFFICIENT SAVIOR:

Jesus is the sufficient Savior.  Jesus is sufficient because he fulfilled the law. Jesus said, "I didn't come to abolish the law, I came to satisfy the law."

• He satisfied the law by His life; He lived a perfect life.
• He satisfied the law by His sacrificial death.
• He satisfied the law by rising from the dead and completing all of His work.
• He fulfilled the law in a way that we are incapable of doing for ourselves.

Jesus is sufficient because He has done for us those things that we can't do for ourselves. Because He fulfilled the law, He gave us freedom from our sins by relieving us from the debt of sin. When we are in Jesus, we are freed from the power of sin. In Jesus, we are able to live an abundant life here on earth.

Finally, Jesus is sufficient because He sent us the Helper.  He sent us the Holy Spirit to write God’s law on our hearts the way God said He would in the Old Testament. He sent us the Holy Spirit to help us live out our life without fear and He sent us the Holy Spirit to give us authority for being a witness. 

CONCLUSION:

Jesus is the Master of Salvation. He was the Master of Salvation for these disciples, and He is the Master of Salvation for us because He is the way, the truth, and the life. 

The question for today is this, have you met the Truth?  Has your heart been warmed by His presence in your life? Have you allowed Him to save you from your sins?

My daddy loved to save stuff. Jesus does too. And He would love to save you today.

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt

A Word about the Master of His Fate

Today I want to share a word about the Master of His Fate as I comment on passages from Luke, Matthew, and John. Let’s begin by reading Luke 18:31-34:

Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.  For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.

We often live in dread of our fate. For example, I received an e-mail from a man which told a tale that illustrates this point: 

I was sitting in the waiting room of the hospital after my wife had gone into labor and the nurse walked out and said to the man sitting next to me, “Congratulations sir, you're the new father of twins!” The man replied, “How about that, I work for the Doublemint Chewing Gum Company.” The man then followed the nurse to his wife's room. About an hour later, the same nurse entered the waiting room and announced that Mr. Smith's wife has just had triplets. Mr. Smith stood up and said, “Well, how do you like that, I work for the 3M Company.” The gentleman that was sitting next to me then got up and started to leave. When I asked him why he was leaving, he remarked, “I think I need a breath of fresh air.” The man continued, “I work for 7-UP.”

Jesus’s human fate was nothing less than gruesome.  He was beaten, and abused, and He was whipped until His flesh was flayed.  He was hung from a Roman cross which was the means for a cruel, lingering, and horrible death.  Who would choose such a fate as this?

Jesus. Only Jesus.

As we continue to see Jesus as the masterful person that He is, we will see clearly that not only did Jesus allow this fate, but He also actually chose it.  We’ll begin to see why as we review our first text for today.

JESUS PREDICTED HIS FATE:

Jesus came to the Earth with a purpose. From the beginning of human sin, God had a purpose: to redeem the world. Satan’s rebellion and sin had ruined God’s perfect creation, and this was something God could not abide. So, Jesus had come to redeem a lost, dying, and decaying world. In Luke 19:10 Jesus said, “for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."  Therefore, His whole mission was focused on this purpose, and He, as always, was still on task.

The Disciples, however, were possibly distracted by other things. They had just come into Jerusalem. Now they felt as is if they were in the “big leagues.” They had just experienced the Triumphal Entry, but they didn’t know yet how fickle the crowd can be. They were also looking forward to Passover in Jerusalem, which, emotionally was like us today attending the Super Bowl or celebrating Christmas in Bethlehem. Trouble was far from their minds!

As we see in the passage from Luke 18, Jesus was focused on His purpose, and He reminded them of it. This was the third time He’d done so and both times before were near in time to an exciting event. The first time was just after Peter’s profession of faith in Matthew 16, and the second time was just after the Transfiguration in Matthew 1. Each of these (Peter’s Confession, the Transfiguration, and the Triumphal Entry) were important, but . . . they would be meaningless unless Jesus went all the way.

Jesus, of course, intended to go the distance and do what needed to be done!

JESUS ATTRACTED HIS FATE:

Let’s continue by reading Matthew 21:10-16:

And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them. And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the son of David; they were sore displeased, And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?

In Jerusalem, Jesus was a threat to the establishment:

• He threatened the traditional way of interpreting the Word of God.
• He threatened the political power of the Sanhedrin.
• He threatened the bankrupt fundamentalism of the Pharisees.
• He threatened the bankrupt liberalism of the Sadducees.
• He threatened the security concerns of the Romans.

Jesus was like a thunderstorm: you couldn’t ignore him, and no one could predict where He would go and what He would do.

Jesus was no different in Jerusalem than He was in the Galilee or in Samaria. The difference in Jerusalem was that He brought a disruption to the power structure of that day that they did not expect or desire. The snobby people of Judah expected there to be disturbances in Galilee.  What more could you expect from such low-class people? Likewise, nobody cared much about what happened in Samaria, either.  Those “half-breeds” were beneath the notice of the elite. Now, however, like the attack on Pearl Harbor or the attack on 9/11, Jesus brought the threat home. Something had to be done!

In response to the threat to their power, the forces of evil were going to strike back: They were going to kill this “man” if it was the last thing they did.  Just like when David was caught with Bathsheba, they were caught in their sin. They were going to cover it up with a murder conspiracy, just like David did. And Jesus, being God, knew exactly what they were doing. What do you think He did?

JESUS EMBRACED HIS FATE: 

As we read in John 18:33-38, Jesus embraced His fate:

Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews? Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me? Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done? Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.

People have different reactions when they are confronted by their fate. For example, Adolph Hitler committed suicide, while Saddam Hussein fled and wound up hiding in a hole in the ground. Saddam Hussein’s sons died in a shoot-out with the US Army, but others try to plea-bargain their way out of trouble. A few will trust in God, like the teenaged girl asked by the shooters at Columbine High School, “Do you believe in God?”  When she said “Yes,” she was shot and killed. All of them would rather be somewhere else, doing something else. Not Jesus, however.

• He embraced His arrest.
• He embraced the illegal, night-time trial that took place.
• He embraced the experience of being brutalized and killed.
• He embraced the fact that in all these things there was a purpose.

What Jesus did was literally, out of this world! What Jesus did was based on a different reality than the one that humans embrace. Only in God’s economy could defeat be victory. Only in the spiritual realms could this suffering bring succor!

Jesus came to give us what we couldn’t give ourselves. To do this, He had to be crowned King with a crown of thorns. He embraced this fate without reservation!

JESUS ALLOWED HIS FATE: 

Finally, John 19:5-11 tells us that Jesus allowed His fate:

Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man! When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him. The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God. When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid; And went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer. Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.

Those in power thought that they had Jesus right where they wanted Him. The Romans had Him in custody, so He was contained. The Sanhedrin were going to kill Him, so He would be out of their hair. The Disciples had been scattered to the winds, so they could threaten neither the Roman nor the Jewish establishments. Satan had manipulated it all, or so he thought. 

In truth, they had all been caught in Jesus’s trap. In fact, Jesus was right where He wanted to be, with the same attitude that the legendary Marine, Lewis “Chesty” Puller once expressed when surrounded by the enemy, “All right. They’re on our left, they’re on our right, they’re in front of us, they’re behind us … They can’t get away this time.”

Jesus had come for this purpose and in an example of spiritual Jujitsu, He was using His enemies’ own actions against them. Jesus was in control, not the Romans, nor the Jews, nor Satan. He could have had armies of angels come release Him. He could have spoken and rained fire down on His captors. He didn’t however, not because He couldn’t, but because He wouldn’t. He was right where He wanted to be.

Why would Jesus knowingly, willingly, and determinedly, inflict the trauma He experienced upon Himself? Because He loves us, and He wants to save us. Because He wants to give us righteousness, and He wants to have a relationship with us. Because He wants to give us a relationship with God that we need, and that God desires.

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10

CONCLUSION:  

Jesus embraced His fate on our behalf. Have you embraced what Jesus did for you? Don’t you think you should? Does your life honor what Jesus did for you? Don’t you think it should?

A Word about the Master of Nature

 

Today I want to share a word about the Master of Nature as I comment on passages from Luke 5 and Matthew 8 and 14. Let’s begin by reading Luke 5:1-11:

And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.  And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.  And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.

Today, we will go sailing. We’re going to spend some time in boats today, and small boats at that.  As with many subjects, boats can cause people to have some strong emotions.  For example:

A man put a post on social media to try to meet a new girlfriend.  The ad said, “Looking for adventurous, out-doors oriented lady with boat and motor.  Send photo of boat and motor.” Of course, from the opposite perspective, one wife’s definition of a boat is “a hole in the water into which you pour money.”

All joking aside, one emotion that boats can cause is fear. This fear does not come from the boat itself, but from the way sailing is so dominated by weather.  Even a minor storm can seem big in a small boat, and even the biggest ships are vulnerable to the overwhelming forces of nature. 

When the Great Lakes ore carrier Edmund Fitzgerald was launched in 1958 it was the largest ship on the Great Lakes, and it remained so until 1971.  She weighed 13,632 tons empty, and she was 729 feet long.  Called “Big Fitz,” she regularly carried twice her own weight of iron ore to steel mills in the US.  She was so big and powerful she seemed to shrug off the forces of nature, that is, until November 1975. On the 9th day of that month, while bound for Detroit, MI with 26,000 tons of iron ore, Edmund Fitzgerald was overcome by a winter storm and disappeared with the loss of all 29 crew members.

If anyone has doubts about the power of nature, they should go to the Mississippi gulf shore.  At the sea front you will find a tall pole on which is marked the height of the storm surge of the many large hurricanes that have come ashore there.  I had always heard about Hurricane Camille, and I was disappointed that the storm surge wasn’t marked, but I was wrong. Up near the top of the pole there is a mark that showed a wave of nearly thirty feet in height had crashed ashore there.

The forces of nature are far beyond the control of we mere mortals, but we will see today that they don’t even compare to the powers of the Master of Nature.

THE MASTER OF CREATURES:

In our passage from Luke 5, we see Jesus as the Master of Creatures. 

No one likes it when people butt into their business. As the old saying goes, “Those of you who think they know it all really irritate those of us who do!” The truth is that some people think they know more than the experts. Just as often, these folks act on their “knowledge.” Usually when they do, disaster strikes. 

An example of this is the leadership of a police department which took it upon themselves to install a temporary traffic light at an intersection without properly consulting traffic engineers. A fatal traffic accident was the result.

Jesus should not have known about fishing. Jesus was a trained carpenter and a religious teacher. This kind of fishing was not done by just anyone. These fishermen were highly skilled and had long training. Catching fish with a net isn’t easy; it is an industrial process. Yet, Jesus did know more about these creatures than these expert fishermen did.

Jesus is the Master of Creatures because He is the Creator as revealed by the very beginning of the Apostle John’s Gospel.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. (John 1:1-4)

Because Jesus is the Creator, we need to honor His knowledge.  We need to follow His instructions to have dominion over this world and to be good stewards of it. If we violate His guidance we risk losing out on His abundance.

THE MASTER OF STORMS:

Let’s continue by reading Matthew 8:23-27:

And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!

In this passage we find our expert mariners and our supposedly landlubber carpenter on the Sea of Galilee, which was actually a very large lake. It was a lake, but that didn’t make it less dangerous. The terrain is such that a funnel effect is created that causes very strong winds that can create severe storms. like the one which sank the Edmund Fitzgerald on another large lake. Though the dangers were real, the Sea of Galilee was a key element in the economy and culture of northern Israel.  Without the Sea, it would not have been the same place.

The Sea of Galilee was a major transportation route, and Jesus and His disciples had sailed upon it to reach the other side, where Jesus had an appointment to meet with the Gadarene Demoniac, although the disciples did not know that yet. While on the way, a typical storm of great violence descended upon them. The disciples, who knew boats and the lake, were deathly afraid. Jesus, of course, was sleeping. Do you think Jesus didn’t know what was happening? Of course He did, but He was not worried because He is the Master of Storms. 

When He was awakened, Jesus rebuked the Disciples for their fear. He then rebuked the wind and waves, and calm came over the sea. The disciples marveled the same way we marvel at a magician, but then being surprised by how simple the solution was after it has been revealed to us.

THE MASTER OF PHYSICS:

For experienced fishermen, it seems that the disciples had a tendency to get caught at sea in severe storms. The next time this happened, in Matthew 14:24-33, we learn that Jesus was the Master of Physics:

But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.  But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.  And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

God created our world, and He designed it to run in certain ways: He created the laws of biology. He created the laws of chemistry. He created the laws of oceanography, and He created the laws of physics. The belief of Christians in the existence of an intelligent creator prompted us to systematically study nature, because if there was a design behind the creation, we could discover it and discover how creation works. Even though science now often seems to despise our faith, in truth, science came out of our faith!

God’s design was perfect and was only marred by human sin. The Laws of Physics are largely immutable. They work the same way every time. We can use them for our own purposes, but we can’t alter them.  When we use the laws of physics properly, we can do wonderful things like fly an airplane. When you violate the laws of physics you pay the price. People often perpetuate the myth that bumble bees violate the laws of physics.  Nothing that flies can violate the laws of physics; however, if you jump off a building with an open umbrella you will violate them, and the results will be painful!

Jesus showed us in these verses that He is the Master of Physics. A man cannot walk on water, but Jesus could. And not only could Jesus walk on water, but He could also empower Peter to do so as well!

 MASTER OF OUR FEARS: 

Because human sin has marred God’s perfect creation, the world is a dangerous place. This causes people to experience fear. 

People are often afraid of creatures. Sometimes these are four-footed creatures, like the young lady who, when she was a child, had been knocked down by a dog who stole her graham cracker snack. Years later, as an adult, she was frightened by the barking of a German Shepherd. She frantically ran away from the dog, only to fall and hurt herself.  People are also afraid of two-footed creatures, like the mother who would always call her daughter when a convict had escaped, or if the local police were looking for a fugitive. 

Jesus, of course, is the Master of Creatures, whether they have two feet, or four feet, or slither upon the ground. We need to let Him be the Master of our fears about creatures.

People are often afraid of storms, too. Storms are violent and can cause destruction and death. I know a family whose home was once hit by lightning and caught fire. They never left their house unoccupied again. Someone was always at home just in case lightning might strike in the same place twice.  Jesus demonstrated that He is the Master of Storms and He needs to be the Master of our fear of storms, too.

People also have what is called on social media, FOMO, or Fear of Missing Out. Like children who don’t want to nap or go to bed at night because they are afraid that they are going to miss out on something:

• We often think that God’s way is not the best way.
• We try to find ways around the rules of creation. 
• We try to find pleasure in ways God didn’t intend.
• We try to find power in ways that God didn’t intend.
• We rebel against His plan and when we do it costs us.

Jesus is the Master of Creation and He needs to be our master as well. We need to seek His abundant life, not our false abundance.

CONCLUSION:

Jesus is the Master of Nature. He created nature for our blessing. The way we are most blessed is by allowing Him to be our master, too! Have we done this today? Or are we still trying to be our own master? Surrender to Him today!

A Word about the Master of Spirits

Today I want to share a word about the Master of Spirits as I comment on Mark 5:1-20. Let’s begin by reading Mark 5:1-5:

And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. 

Sometimes we lose what pilots call situational awareness.  That is, we just forget the situation we are in and lose sight of reality.  That was the way it was for a man I recently heard about who owned five dogs, and he installed an “invisible fence” to keep them in his yard.  An invisible fence is a wire buried in the ground around the boundaries of his property.  This wire emits a signal that can be received by a collar worn by a dog.  When the dog crosses the wire, it is shocked. 

This invisible fence proved very effective, except when the man lost situational awareness.  Once when he was taking his dogs to the vet, he forgot to turn the fence off before he backed out of his driveway.  The dogs found that to be shocking experience!

They say, “what goes around comes around,” and so it proved for this dog owner the next time he lost situational awareness.  He called a man to come to his house to groom his five dogs.  To do this the man had to take the shock collars off of the dogs, and while he was holding them in his hand, he thought he’d go check his mail box.  The five shock collars activated the second he crossed the wire and reminded him of his mistake!

We, too, make a mistake when we forget that we are at war. I’m not referring to the war on terrorism or in Iraq. There has been a war raging since before time began. It is a spiritual war.  As Paul said in Ephesians 6:10-13:

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Humans struggle to overcome natural challenges, and we are totally unable to fight in the supernatural realm. We are blessed, however, the know someone who not only can fight supernatural battles, but also win them, every time!

A FEARSOME SPIRIT:

In the beginning of Mark 5, Jesus and His disciples were confronted by a fearsome spirit. This man was being used of Satan to strike fear in the hearts of people. People are afraid of Satan’s power as a supernatural being, and we are also afraid of his evil nature. Because we can’t see him, we are even more afraid of him.

Truth be told, much of this fear is unnecessary for Christians. We regularly confuse fact with fiction. We have been conditioned by Hollywood horror productions. We have been deceived by hyped stories of Satan worship. Most of these tales are false and misleading.  

At the same time, we should not discount Satan’s existence. He does exist, and he is evil and powerful. We ignore that reality at our own risk, and neither should we make light of evil, the way people do during Halloween and other cultural events which seem to celebrate evil. 

If we look at the subject of this story, we’ll see Satan at work. Satan had totaled destroyed this man’s life! He was living in hell!

A FREEING SPIRIT:

Let’s continue by reading verses 6-13:

But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many. And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country. Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.

What happened when the man saw Jesus? He immediately ran and worshipped Jesus. He begged Jesus for help. This is an object less for us as well. When we are tempted or oppressed by the Devil, we should do the same!

Jesus, of course, knew exactly with whom He was dealing. The spiritual world is not hidden to Jesus. Satan has opposed God to His face on many occasions, and Jesus, Himself had recently been confronted by Satan. The demons also knew who Jesus was, and they reacted with fear. But, how did Jesus react to this confrontation? Jesus acted to free the man from this horrendous situation:

• Satan oppressed him.
• Jesus released him.
• Jesus prevented the spirits from going into another person.
• The man ended up dressed and in his right mind.

This was a complete job! No plea bargain was accepted! The guilty were prevented from hurting anyone else and a complete restoration of the man was realized. In this way, Jesus showed His complete mastery over the demons and spiritual forces of evil!

A FEARFUL SPIRIT: 

As we read in verses 14-17, this dynamic event caused a mixture of reactions:

And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done. And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine. And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts.

No one who meets with Jesus goes away unchanged. The townspeople reacted one way. The former demoniac reacted in an entirely different way.

The townspeople reacted with a fearful spirit. They seemed to believe in the saying, “Better the devil you know than the one you don’t.” They did not know this Jesus and they rejected His power because of their fear. They would rather have the devil that they knew.

Even today, people are afraid of the power of Jesus in their lives. They are afraid to attend church. They are afraid to release control of their lives to Jesus. People are afraid to risk on behalf of God. We give Jesus our broken lives to mend, but then we try to snatch then back. Contrast that spirit of fear, with the new spirit possessed by the man who was formerly possessed by demons.

A FOLLOWER’S SPIRIT: 

As mentioned before no one who meets with Jesus goes away unchanged. Finally, in verses 18-20, let’s see how the man’s spirit was transformed:

And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.

The Bible tells us of many people whose lives were transformed by meeting Christ. This man was released from demons. Others were released from physical illness. Lazarus was released from death. Many, many others have been released from sin.

When our lives are changed by Christ, how should we respond? Our best response is gratefulness! We should be grateful about what Jesus has done for us. Sometimes this does not happen; Jesus once healed ten lepers but only one returned to Him, but it always should happen.

Although we can’t ever repay Jesus, we should be grateful to Him and the best way to show that we are grateful is to follow Him. This is exactly what the former demoniac did, and this story ends with an example of what happens when we develop a follower’s spirit. People hear about Jesus and the power of God impacts people’s lives. People’s lives are changed, and abundant life in Christ happens!

CONCLUSION:  

When Jesus sent out the twelve and then the seventy, they came back to Him proclaiming that “Even the demons were subject to us!” Because they followed Him and ministered in His Name, they saw first-hand that Jesus is the Master of Spirits. He still is today.

If you are beset by spiritual oppression you can turn to Him and He will release you! Then, when you are released by the power of God, then you have the privilege and responsibility to help others be released. Have you experienced the spiritual power of Jesus?  If not, you can today, if you will seek it!

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt