Sermon Notes
As time and memory permit, I'm going to try to post reflections from Sunday sermons here. I waited too long this week, unfortunately. The sermon was powerful and effective, though you couldn't tell by what I'm about to say. I forgot most of it! I was really excited when I first heard it. I suffered elder Dave to send me the passages He spoke from. I assumed the references would be enough to spark my memory. Nope.
There's something seriously wrong with my memory. I should have taken some notes immediately after the sermon. Now I've lost most of it. I remember it had to do with the time being short, and not to be complacent.
So I'll read and consider the passages once again and see what my busted brain comes up with. It surely won't be what Dave delivered. Besides, I'm tired, and I'll probably write incomplete sentences anyway. Brain dead city USA relocated to my apartment. I'm the mayor, sheriff, and the only citizen. I arrest you in the name of the law. Blah blah boring narrative yuck gross, shut up.
Okay, I'm silenced. How about now including the verses. Maybe the Spirit will implant the message from these passages into your mind.
And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. And behold, they cried out, "What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?" Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. And the demons begged him, saying, "If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs." And he said to them, "Go." So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters.
Matthew 8:28-32 ESV
Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world - he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!"
Revelation 12:7-12 ESV
The simple message here is that time is short. This planet and universe simply ain't going to last forever. What is the "appointed time" the demons refer to in Matthew 8? I see it as two possibilities. The most likely is the end of time, when the angels of darkness are cast into the place of fiery torment prepared for them. The other possibility is Jesus waging war on them after His death, gaining the keys to hell and rising again. Death could not hold Him!
At any rate, Satan's time is very limited on this earth. He knows very well that Jesus, the Son of God, will return and claim His people. Then it will be said, "Your time is up!" If the demons know their time is limited and are anxious, not resting for a moment, how much more should we consider our time limited? Beings whose "lifespans" pass through all periods of human history with the idea that their time is limited? I'm sad to say, perhaps we need to take this example from the enemy and start DOING something! Our lifespans pale in comparison to theirs. If their time is short, how much more is ours?! Any day can claim us who fade like the grass of the field. There's no guarantee that we will die of old age. Shouldn't we take life a bit more seriously and stop living for ourselves and our own pleasures?
Unfortunately, in our deadened and numb society, Satan has many people exactly where he wants them: blinded in the darkness, living it up, dying inside. These are bound by worldly pursuits and lack of concern for eternal things. We humans can't see spiritual things after all, so why should we care, right? We should care because the enemy of human souls is roaring like a lion, ready to devour. Indeed, many human souls have been lost already. They are being picked off one by one, day by day, hour by hour. Shall we as God's army do nothing? La-dee-da, living in comfort and complacency? Yuck. Sounds gross. Sick of it. Sick of doing nothing.
Wowza! I'm dead tired and can't think. Good night. Zzzz.