Let God Redeem Your Story Part 3 #2

Looking to Jesus and Satan uses demons will leaving behind a trail of destructive choices and action victims of these actions are then left with past hard to deal with today how God turned into Victor's from the Moody Church in Chicago this morning to win with Dr. Erwin Sir clear teaching sauce make across the finish line.

Sir, many who are listening need a word of hope today, especially if they find themselves as ringtones of abuse will they hear that word of hope Dave.

They absolutely will hear a word of hope, it won't just come from my lips.

Of course it'll come from the life in the ministry and the power of Jesus.

That's why believe it is so important for us to understand the work of Satan but also to know how we can be defeated. I love that story. That story of the triumph of Jesus. Here's a man who actually was demonized and Jesus shows that he has power over all demonic spirits and so for those who are listening today.

Yes, Christ is Victor this is the last day you can receive this series of messages. These are resources that we believe will be a great blessing and help to you if you'd like to listen to these messages again and again because they will encourage you and help others.

Here's what you can do. Go to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 ask for this series of messages titled let God redeem your story. This is the last opportunity. You will have. It's a short series of messages, but we believe very powerful in the minds and the hearts of all who listen and now let us open our Bibles and Dave now people will receive the hope that we have promised them a little drop of Satan's rebellion has fallen all of our hearts has as other people you know will just continue to plunge toward evil you can warn them. You can tell them the consequences it means nothing.

They just keep doing it over and over again because they are compelled to do evil will the good news is Jesus does deliver such people, but we need to continue on in the story so the demons say to him.

Jesus was saying come out of the man, and Jesus asked him, what is your name, he replied, my name is Legion for we are many Legion means 10,000 or more and he says my name is Legion for we are many, and he that is still the man speaking, but the lead spirit has his vocal cords. He begged him earnestly to not send them out of the country.

Don't send us out of the area.

I think that the spirit said we would prefer to just stay here among the tombs and among this desolate area here because we want to choose a place that we are familiar with. Don't send us out of the country and then it says verse 11.

Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside and they begged him, saying, send us into the pigs last. Let us enter them. So I gave them permission. The unclean spirits came out entered into the pigs and the herd numbering about 2000 rushed down that steep bank into the sea and they were drowned in the sea.

The demonic spirits prefer a warm body, a living body, and that Jesus actually gives them permission to go into the swine and the swine all drowned because they become angry and mad. They are demon possessed.

Is that what happened to the demons afterwards. Well after the swine drowned and the bodies were dead. Then they went looking elsewhere to get some new orders undoubtedly from Satan himself to figure out what their next tactic is going to be is a pastor loser. This is so bizarre.

I do really believe this. Yes I believe it because it's in God's word but you know it may even happen today, bizarre though it is 20 years ago a woman here at the Moody church told me an interesting story. Her father was deeply into the occult. He was a truly evil man basically had given himself to Satan, and they had lived in the house and then he was taken to the hospital after he died she came home from the hospital and her Absolutely was bizarre. The cat was trying to climb up the curtains. The cap was foaming at the mouth. They had to put the cat out. Maybe Jesus gave permission for one of those demons to actually enter into an animal as he did back here so the story is then that Jesus Christ gives them permission and how does the man and well I'm going to be saying more about that in just a few moments, but he ends with dignity. We have to read this, the herdsman fled verse 14 and told in the city and in the country. They told what happened in the people came to see what was done and that they came to Jesus and saw the demon possessed man, the one who had the Legion sitting there, clothed in his right mind, and they were afraid they do not want the world to do at this, he was healed, clothed in his right mind, and then they asked Jesus to leave because obviously they lost a lot of pigs and furthermore there was a great deal of confusion as to how a man could have that kind of power to heal a man who was that demented. In a few moments here at the Moody church. I'm going to be getting an invitation and during the next few moments. I want you to be thinking about whether or not you should come forward I'll explain it in detail so that there are no surprises. But I want you to be thinking about whether or not you need special prayer today and so as I begin to close in on how this applies to us.

You be thinking about that and asking the Lord.

Is this something that I should do. Do I desire special prayer today because of what I'm going through. Think about that. Let me give you some very important lessons that grow out of this interesting story. First of all I want you to grasp once and for all. The absolute total authority of Jesus.

The absolute total authority of Jesus never question it noticed that Jesus was able to do what the chains couldn't do the text says that they bound him with chains to subdue him, but it didn't work. But Jesus comes along and the man ends been clothed in his right mind.

Jesus has awesome infinite power. Jesus is Lord, I marvel at the fact I need to think about this. Demons even need the permission of Jesus to enter into paid, they can wiggle unless Jesus said okay I'll give you permission to wiggle wiggle now but don't wiggle them that's that's the kind of authority that Jesus has over never doubted and when Jesus Christ died on the cross. The Bible says that he disarmed all principalities and all powers and made a show of them openly triumphing over them in it. Listen.

Satan wants you to be scared of him. Truth is, he is scared of you and he is scared of God and he's scared of your relationship with God.

He scared out of his wits, but he wants us to be the fearful ones he has been conquered. Jesus is Lord. I just absolutely love this 20th chapter of the book of Revelation.

It's time for God to wind up history and will be talking about that history and it's time for Satan to be bound in the pit for thousand years and this is what the text says. It says, and an angel came out of heaven with the key to the bottomless pit, and he bound to Satan and threw them into the pit and closed off the pit for thousand years.

An angel doing this wasn't Michael unit wasn't Gabriel. It was just an angel just a random ordinary angel, but God had said to that Angel Angel whatever his name was. I think God's probably named all the angels. He names the stars I think he probably named the Angels to but he says to him, go buying Satan under my command and under my authority go buying him now and throw him into the bottomless pit and one Angel under the command of God commands Satan to enter into the pit and whimpering. He has to do it that that's how much authority Jesus Christ as you see it's possible in spiritual warfare to fall into two errors. One is to discount the devil i.e. can't be involved in anything. Truth is he's involved in an awful lot of things he's involved in our deceptions. He's involved in our sins, to varying degrees, doesn't mean that we are inhabited. It simply means that he's there to tempt us truth is he's involved in a lot of things but we can discount all that up. But then, on the other side we can make him so strong that we think to ourselves. There is no way that we are going to win this all my friend, Jesus has a way for you to win this. He really does. The authority of Jesus. So that's what we're doing today when I ask you to come forward in a few moments we don't have any counselors here.

We only have prayer partners want to listen to your story and encourage you with their prayers and to point you to Jesus because we don't know we don't know the answer but were convinced that Jesus does. Second, the cleansing of Jesus. So what's going on here in the text. Here's a man who is cutting himself with stones.

Here's a man who feels that sense of unworthiness.

God doesn't love me.

Nobody else loves me.

There's no hope for me. I'm bound here by these evil spirits and I'm going to die this way. How does Jesus get people out of the pit like that. The answer of course is that to Jesus Christ death on the cross, he shed blood is the answer to your sense of self-condemnation and your overwhelming feeling of guilt and sin.

Revelation chapter 12 it says that there was war in heaven and God through Satan to the earth. I think that happens during the middle of the great tribulation. There is evidence that that's the time that it happens you say will does Satan have access to God today. Yes I think so.

Just like you did in the book of Job. After he's thrown to the earth. We hear the words out of heaven. The accuser of the brethren has been thrown down to the earth the one who accuses believers day and night before the throne of God to realize my friend that is secret sin on earth is an open scandal in heaven, you realize that you sin and Satan is there thing okay God what he's done. He's a Christian right are you telling me that you can continue to love this person and ends not impugn your justice and by the way, don't you think that this is stretched your grace more than it ought to be stretched look at what that believer is doing so 24 seven and we are feeding him ammunition and he is standing before the throne and he's even saying things about us that are true and that he's accusing us 24 seven and he accuses us 24 seven.

Not just with words but with feelings. So the question is how do you handle it. Text says they overcame him by the word of their testimony by the blood of the Lamb blood of the Lamb is so what does the blood of the Lamb have to do with the victory. The blood of the Lamb has an awful lot to do with the victory, my friend, because you see, Satan comes to us and says judge him judge him judge him condemn him, condemn him, and Jesus is there before the throne, reminding the father who really doesn't need to be reminded. They've already been job attached. Their forgiveness has already been secured. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect is God who justifies.

Who is he that condemns Christ died. ADA rather that is raised again and is even now on the right and throne of God, who makes intercession this morning we saying these lovely words when Satan tempts me to despair and tells me of the guilt within upward.

I look and see him there, who made Anand to all my sin.

They overcame him by the word of the testimony, and by the blood of the Lamb.

A man now there's something else I have to share with you and that is the restoration of Jesus and this leads me back into the text. Notice how the story ends. Yes, the man is clothed and in his right mind, and that Jesus gets into the boat to go to the other side.

By the way, Jesus did that because he actually came for this man. He came across the sea because he knew that man was there. You know Jesus comes to you to.

You may be here today and not realizing it.

But Jesus is approaching you right now he's coming for you to deliver you but notice it says that Jesus gets into the boat and does verse 19. Well let's begin at verse 17 and they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region and he Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. The same Jesus, let me come with you. Let me come with you. Let me come with.

But Jesus did not permit him but said to him, go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has mercy on you and he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him and everyone marveled Jesus that I have an assignment for you. The Decapolis are the 10 cities which were in the Transjordan area and he's beginning to going to tell everybody about his deliverance.

You know, when Jesus begins to bring you into freedom you stop asking the question, why if you just stay there asking the question why you will always be stuck on.

Why did this happen to me. But when Jesus begins to bring deliverance. What happens is, he has another question now and it is the question of what what can I do with my past so that God can redeem it completely and how can God use me to bless the lives of others. That's an important question for you to ask because obviously God intends for this to bless you and to make something out of what otherwise is a huge tragedy and this man understood that and I can see him going from being a victim to being a victor and saying to himself I cannot. I cannot stay in my past I can find out how God is going to use me in my future God loves to restore. He loves to use people he loves to redeem their histories and their stories and God can do that to and he can use you in ways despite your past.

He can use you in ways that you never dreamed possible. Now you may say will Pastor Luther why is it that some stories are never redeemed. I don't have all the answers to that question but I know that there are some Christians whose story is not redeemed and I think I can speak to that.

It's because they keep giving Satan authority in their lives. It doesn't have authority but people are handing it to and away we handed to them is by retaining a love for sin and hanging on to our sins and saying I will not give these that enable Satan to continue to do his business. All of course even after we confess our sins were still intact. We as elders today pray for a couple that seem to be under attack just in every way, but we are not thereby defeated because we know what to believe and we go on believing with endurance and we resist them is either many people. I'm convinced you don't want God to redeem their story, what they want is vengeance. That's what they really want vengeance against those who hurt them.

Vengeance against their mates against their parents, against all the people who have done them in and they want vengeance was and if you want vengeance you've closed off your life to God redeeming your story will simply be stuck or passed, but if you're willing to say God redeem my story in what ever way you wish to redeem it and use me in whatever way you wish to use me for your glory.

I think then the grace of God begins to move in begins to bring a sense of cleansing and hopefulness and usefulness to God and so I have to ask you today.

Are you willing to let God really redeem your story. I'm not talking about being inhabited by demons, though that's not beyond the realm of possibility, either on talking about those deep seated feelings that you have lived with that do not honor God that denied that he loves you that deny that you are forgiven that deny that you are God's precious child. All of those things intended by the devil to cut us off from God's love to make us think that God hates us he doesn't love us. And when you believe those lies you're stuck in your past, here's the way were going to do it in a moment I'm going to pray and then I'm going to stand here like I did a couple of weeks ago right at the end here of this file. If God is talk to you. I want you to do, and then were going to gather in a room again. I'm going to give you a little bit of instruction about rebuking Satan from the book of James, and then what were going to do is to have you pray on your own and then before you leave you pray with a prayer partner, the prayer partners won't come forward until I asked them to accept members of the pastoral staff and Mary if you'd be here just guiding the people, because I don't know whether or not anyone will come. We don't know whether we need the prayer partners are not as is all in God's hands. But if you do we want someone to pray with you before you leave today, and to give you hope and as I say they are not counselors, they are only prayer partners convinced that if they can help you get to Jesus in prayer. You'll be helped on your journey, although maybe not totally delivered, but the path will have been laid out for you. We don't know much about these things but we do believe in Jesus and we thank that he really does help people father I pray that you might during these moments help all of us to know how we should respond to grant your grace to us. Lord I I have no idea what people are bringing to the service today. I've no idea what the people who are listening on the Internet have going on in their lives.

But Jesus you know us thoroughly and we only ask that you'll make us obedient to do your will. In Jesus name, amen. This is Pastor Luther and I need to tell you that I remember with great clarity that when I gave the invitation. Here it the church that many people responded, and I was able to give them further instruction regarding what it says in the book of James that if we humble ourselves and if we seek God's face that the Lord will draw near to us and that we must rebuke the devil and you need to do that wherever this message has found you, whatever it is that you are going through.

Always remember that Jesus is Lord Lord over the devil. I was talking with someone who works with demonized people and he says the thing that Satan wants most is that we continue to hate ourselves. Self-hatred is one of his great weapons God wants you to be able to overcome that has this series of messages been a blessing to you.

Can you think of other people who need to hear these messages you know for a gift of any amount. These messages can be yours.

Here's what you do you go to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 ask for this series of messages. Let God redeem your story and for the thousands upon thousands of people who are listening many of you have been blessed by this ministry, but you've never connected with us is because of the investment that other people make that we can share the word of God. With so many thanks in advance for helping us.

We are totally committed to sharing the gospel and the deliverance of Jesus in a very confused and abused world RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 you can write to us running to win 1635 South Blvd., Chicago, IL 60614 great moral code God gave to Moses governs our relationships with God and with each other.

Next time, don't miss the series on the 10 Commandments for Dr. Erwin Blitzer this is Dave Callister running to win is sponsored by the Moody church