Shabbat Shalom everyone. We turn in our Bibles to the Gospel of Mark chapter 4 and verses 35 to 41 and into Mark chapter 5. verses 1 to 20. And so we read in verse 35 of Mark chapter 4, And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him, even as he was in the ship. and there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind and the waves beat into the ship so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship asleep on a pillow and they awake him and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?

And he arose and rebuked the wind and said unto the sea, Peace be still. In Hebrew, has vedom. And the wind ceased, and there was a great come. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of men is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? Mark 5, in verse 1, And they came over unto the other side of the sea into a 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 but when he saw Yeshua afar off he ran and he worshipped him and cried with a loud voice and said what have I to do with thee Yeshua the son of the most high God I adjure thee by God that thou torment me not and 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 or 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 demons besought him saying, send us unto the swine that we may enter into them. And forthwith Yeshua gave them leave. And the unclean spirit went out and entered into the swine. And the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, they were about 2,000 and were choked in the sea. Verse 14, and they that fed the swine fled and tore it in the city and in the country, and they went out to see what it was that was done. And they come to Yeshua and see him that was possessed with demon and had a legion sitting and closed and in his right mind and they were afraid.

And they that saw it told them how it befall to him that was possessed with the demon and also concerning the swine and they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts. And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the demon prayed him that he might be with him. However, Yeshua suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends and tell them how great things the Lord has done for thee and have had compassion on thee. And he departed, and he began to publish in Decapolis how great things Yeshua had done for him. And all men did marvel.

And I'm stopping here in Mark chapter 5 and verse 20, reading this long session, you might say long portion of scripture, Mark chapter 4 verse 35 into Mark chapter 5 and verse 20. Now we are studying, of course, beloved brothers and sisters, the gospel of Mark in which Yeshua is presented before us as the servant of the Lord. He is the One of whom the prophet Isaiah said many years ago, 750 years about before the coming of the Mashiach, Isaiah predicted and he said, Behold my servant. God is speaking and he is presenting his servant in Hebrew, Eved Adonai, Eved Elohim, the one that would come to serve him here in this world.

But we knew very well, beloved brothers and sisters, that Yeshua is much more than just a servant. He is much more than just a man. But according to the scripture, he is the Emmanuel, the God with us, of whom Isaiah said, You shall call his name Emmanuel, God with us. And if God is going to save us, sinners of the nations of the world, He must do something about it in sending the Mashiach, the Messiah himself, to enter himself to this world in order to accomplish redemption. You remember how the whole Gospel had began in the Gospel of Mark. The beginning of the Gospel of Yeshua, HaMashiach, the Son of God.

So when we are studying this Gospel, we have to realize again and again that we are really learning about the person of Yeshua the Messiah and how he would provide redemption for us and the proof that he was the Messiah is seen in the way he lived and what he did, how he spoke the healing that he has accomplished here in this world the proof that he was indeed the Messiah of Israel and the Savior of this world Well, we just concluded in our previous ministry the study of the Meshalim, of the various parables that Yeshua have taught his disciples. The parable of the soils, if you remember, in chapter 4.

Then at the end of chapter 4, he taught additional parables. Those parables that represent what God is doing here in this world. And so now we are moving from the parables into some events that happen in the life of the Lord. You see, Jesus, Yeshua, is in control over everything that is going on here in this world. We might not quite grasp it, but chapter 4 from verse 35 and chapter 5 together represent before us the fact that Yeshua is in full control over everything that is going on here in this world. He is in control over danger. He is in control over demons. He is in control over the diseases, and he is even in control over death.

He is supreme in control over every situation that exists here in this world. Well, chapter 4 and verse 35 on, into the end of chapter 5, present before us four things that the Lord revealed his authority over. First of all, there was a danger, later on there will be demons, then in chapter 5 later on there will be diseases, and finally even over death. He is in control over danger, over demons, over diseases, and even over the issue of death. So in chapter 4, verses 35 to 41, Yeshua is calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee. Now, I don't know if you have ever been in Israel. Some of us have been, obviously, with us to Israel.

And if you would go to the Sea of Galilee, we call it the Kineret, right there by the town of Tiberias, there's a little lake, you might say. It's about 13 miles long and about 8 miles wide. Very, very small lake. It's the only sweet water lake in Israel that provides water for our people in the land of Israel. in this particular lake. It's right below the mountains of Galilee. The Golan Heights is even further up on the border with Syria and Lebanon and so on. But this lake that is 13 miles long and eight miles wide, a time experienced some amazing storm that comes suddenly when you are not even planning for that.

Years ago, I remember we took a group to Israel and we were there on the Sea of Galilee. It's called Sea, even though it's actually only a lake. And it didn't take too long when the wind came from around through the mountains, you might say, and in no time we found the little boat that we were in swept into the shore. Immediately we head to the shore so there will be no danger for anyone who remained there on the Sea of Galilee, on the Kinneret. What it happened to be here, that Yeshua now is sitting, if you remember, he taught the disciples in parables, he was sitting in a boat, in a ship, on the water, while the multitude were surrounded there on the mountains, listening to the teachings that Yeshua had taught there some about 2,000 years ago.

He was tired. He just finished to teach the multitude of people and now he tells his disciples, let us cross to the other side. You notice that we read in verse 35 of Mark chapter 4, at the same day when the evening was come, he says unto them, let us pass over unto the other side. Now, it was the same day, you can just imagine, beloved brothers and sisters, multitude of people of these Israelis, Hebrews in the north and the south and the east and the west, all came to listen to the Mashiach, to the Messiah, what he has to say. Some were believers, some did not believe, some were from the ordinary individuals that trusted in him, others, the Pharisees, the Sadducees and the religious leaders of Israel who did not accept him.

But the multitude were there listening to the voice of Yeshua, the Messiah. And verse 35 of Mark 4 tells us it was evening. Erev, he's the whole day ministering to this multitude. And by now, he says, let us cross to the other side. The evening has come. So notice that. It says here, let us pass over to the other side. When he said, let us pass over to the other side, he meant it. He intended to arrive to the other side and that reminds us in a practical way when we became believers in Yeshua the Messiah we can be assured by typology here that the Lord will carry us through all the way to the other side to the glory, to be in his presence but all along the way he will teach us many, many lessons.

There will be sometimes storms in our lives. There will be sometimes difficulties and problems in our lives. Well, the disciples assumed when he said, let us cross over to the other side, they went into the ship, and with him together they began their journey on to the other side. So you notice what it says in Mark chapter 4 and verse 36, When they had sent away the multitude, they took him, even as he was in the ship already, and there were also with him other little ships. So what we really find out, that the disciples now took the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah, and they started to sail to the other side.

So, wonderful to see that they obeyed him. They wanted to submit to what he had requested from them. And they began their travel to the other side. Now, I want to remind you, many of them were fishermen. They knew the Sea of Galilee, the Kineret, very well. Every morning, some of them, like Shimon, Petros, and Adru, and James, and John, were rising up every morning to fish because they were fishers of fish. But the Lord called them to become now fishers of men, to reach with the gospel to all around them. Well, look at this. As they are traveling, it says here in verse 37, a sudden storm of wind had arrived.

And we read here in verse 37, there arose a great storm of wind and the waves beat into the ship so that it was now full now can you imagine beloved brothers and sisters when the wind is beating against the little boat and when the water climbing you might say and going into the ship and the whole ship is now filled with water what would you do in a time like this again I'm speaking from some experiences in my life I'll never forget some days when Irene and I were traveling to Turkey my dear wife Irene. Actually, it was with a group of people. We were crossing to the island of Patmos from Turkey.

And all of a sudden, there was a change in the weather. And I can tell you, almost all of us were laying on the floor with our stomach pain. And many of us threw up inside the cabins and wherever we were because the change of the elements, the wind came and beat against the boat and the wave took us sideways and we did not feel comfortable for a while. It took about probably half an hour that we felt terrible. Well, look at this. The boat here in Sea of Galilee is filled with water. The wind and the waves are beating against the side of the ship.

Can you just imagine how these disciples have felt in this time and I again like to always make an application because life is a journey everyone that believe in Yeshua the Messiah have to realize that when we first came to trust him we receive forgiveness of sins but we have a journey to go through, which the Lord may allow us to experience some storms and difficulties in our life. And sometimes we can be, you might say, dismayed. We are saddened and disappointed and discouraged. But the Lord teaches the disciples that part of following Him is not only knowing theory and knowing the parables, the explanation that He explained to them in their head, But they also have to experience this in their life and in their hearts.

And so, beloved brothers and sisters, the Lord, who is in control over the affairs of this world, allowed that great storm, enough wind and waves to beat against the ship, so that it was now full of water. And as we see here, very clearly the water is filling the ship, the boat, and the disciples. Look at this, what we read here in verse 38, Yeshua, while this is going on, Yeshua goes to sleep. It says here, he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow, and they awakened him, and they said unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? Now one brother suggested that the Lord Jesus, the Lord Yeshua, was still awake when the storm began.

Because the very fact that they said to him, don't you care for us, as they said to him in verse 38, that we perish, it shows that he already had been awakened when the storm began, But intentionally, he went to rest in the back part of that ship. He was actually testing them, teaching them some lessons that they need to learn as they're going on that journey and moving along with him. And so we find out that the Lord was asleep. I mean, this is very moving because how can he sleep when there is such a storm that fills the whole ship. Everybody is there in disarray, worried and concerned about their lives, but the Messiah is sleeping.

How is it possible? You remember the story of Jonah in Yonah in chapter 1? We read of Yonah Hanavi, Jonah the prophet, that he also went to sleep when there was a storm there when he took a ship from Jaffa away from the land of Israel. You remember it was very much similar. The only difference is this. Jonah wanted to appease his conscience. Jonah was a disobedient servant of God. He was the one that really wanted to, you might say, to forget about his problems and his disobedience and he went to sleep. But Yeshua, the Messiah, was the obedient servant of God. the Son of God who knew that God will take care of every situation that is going on in his life.

There is a verse, if you turn to Psalm 4 with me for a moment, look at this verse. The psalmist of Israel said in Psalm 4 and verse 8, how the Lord is in full control over everything that is going on here in this world, and one can rest if he trusts in the Lord. I will both lay me down in peace and sleep, for thou, Lord, only makest me to dwell safely. Psalm 4 and verse 8, that was the psalm of David. When David obeyed the Lord, he could lay down to sleep, he could rest in the Lord, because he knew that God is in full control of his own life.

And here we see Yeshua as a man, we see his humanity here. He lay down to sleep there in the rear part of the ship, of the boat. And you can see his humanity. He must have been tired. He had been speaking for so many hours on the Sea of Galilee to the multitude of people. And now is a time for him to just rest for a little while. But they don't let him because it didn't take too long. And the disciples are waking him. And they said to him, Master, Master, don't you care that we perish? and Yeshua of course cares he knows the needs of his people and indeed he does care for his own people and sometimes brothers and sisters we learn from this that God does care for his people you know God himself never goes to sleep he that keepeth Israel neither slumber nor sleep we read in the psalm Shomer Yisrael, lo yanum, ve lo yishan, the psalmist of Israel have said.

God is always there ready to take care of his own people. So here we see the humanity of Christ, the humanity of the Messiah. He went down to sleep there in the back, the rear part of the ship. He was laying his head on a pillow and the disciples were concerned for their life. I know that if I would be there, I would do the very same thing. I would seek to wake him up because he was the one that could help in a time of storm. When problems are coming our way, he is the one that is able to calm the storm. So he woke up.

He didn't have too long time to sleep according to this passage. He arose, according to verse 39, and He rebuked the wind, and it said, He said unto the sea, Peace be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. This is very precious, that only God can calm the storms in the life of His people. Only the Messiah can calm the challenges that one is experiencing in his life. Here we can see that though he was a man, though he became a man, yet he was in control over all the elements that are existing in this world. He could say to the wind and to the sea, peace be still.

stop it. And immediately there was a calm. In that moment that he spoke, there was a calm there on that Sea of Galilee. In a book of Psalms, we read again, he spoke and it stood fast. Psalm 33 and verse 9. God speaks a word and is in control over the elements here of this world and This, Jesus, Yeshua, Hamashiach is in full control over all the elements that are here in this world. So his humanity is seen by his sleeping on a pillow. But his divine nature is seen when he is controlling the elements here in this world. Peace be still, the wind sees, and there was a great calm.

Wonderful to see. And again, the Sea of Galilee now, again the disciples now can have this calmness after the storm that they have experienced here on the Sea of Galilee. But the Lord had to tell them certain things, like He had to tell us. He told them, notice that in the next verses, verse 40 and verse 41, He said to them, why are ye so fearful? Then secondly, how is it that ye have no faith? You see, it is easy to trust the Lord when there is no storms and there are no problems. But it is another story, you might say, another experience in our life to trust the Lord when there are challenges and storms of life that arrive into each and every doors of our lives.

There we need to believe and to trust Him. I can quote many verses that the people of Israel have learned from King Solomon and from King David and from the prophets of Israel. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. in all thy ways acknowledge him and he will direct thy path Solomon said to Israel in the book of Proverbs Moses himself when Israel was just about to enter into the Red Sea he says stand still and see the salvation of the Lord the psalmist of Israel David be still and know that I am God God was saying to the psalmist as well.

It is easy, beloved brothers and sisters, to trust in the Lord when things are well and there are not so much difficulties in our life, but when the storms come and the conflicts and challenges arrive into our doorstep, then one needs to simply trust the Lord and believe that He's able to carry through. And that's why Yeshua challenged his disciples. Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith? In other places he said you have little faith. Here he said how is it that you have no faith? Do you think I will cross from one side to the other with you in the boat and allow you to drown?

Well Again, easy to sit here, to stand here, to say it. But when storms are coming, the heart is falling down to our boots and fear arises. And there is a time to say, oh Lord, help me to wait on you. Help me to trust you even when difficulties do arrive in my life. Why are you so fearful? Yeshua said to them. How is it that ye have no faith? And so the disciples who just experienced the coming of the sea, then they said, they feared exceedingly. This is the feared, it's much more than just were afraid, but they had, you might say, reverence for the Lord, for Yeshua.

And said one to another, what manner of men is this that even, Listen, beloved brothers and sisters, that even the wind and the sea obey him. You see, the sea and the wind and the elements that exist here in this world are under subjection to the creator of the universe. And we learn from this passage that this man, though he was a man, was born to the virgin Miriam, but he is much more than just another man. He is the Emmanuel, the God with us, who can speak a word and things obey his word. You see, the problem is not so much that the elements don't obey the Lord.

The problem is that people don't obey the Lord. The elements do, but people don't. Notice again Psalm 33 and verse 9, For he spake, and it was done. He commended, and it stood fast. The psalmist of Israel said years ago to our people of old Israel, God is in control of all the elements that are here in this world. What manner of men is this that even the wind and the sea obey him? Well, he was the Son of God. He was God the Son. He took humanity with His divine nature for the express purpose to become the Mashiach, the Messiah, who will eventually die for the sin of this world.

That's the man of Mark chapter 4, verses 35 to 41. He is the one who is in control over every danger that exists here in this life. He's in charge over the element, and He's the one that is our Messiah, our Savior, and our Lord. And I'm encouraging you, and I think you should encourage me, we should encourage each other when we go through difficulties in our life, to wait on the Lord, to hope on the Lord, and to trust Him, because He's going to carry us through all the way to the other side. as it's mentioned here in verse 35. So the first thing we learn here from Mark 4, 35 to 41, that Yeshua is in control over every danger that come into the life of his people.

But now in chapter 5, verses 1 to 20, this is a long portion, that I'm going to just take a highlight from this portion. Not only that he calmed the storm upon the Sea of Galilee, but Yeshua also has control over the unclean spirits, what we know today as demons. He's in charge over the unseen world, as we understand this from Scripture. So now, beloved brothers and sisters, it is still the same day. They cross to the other side. On the way, there was a storm. He calmed the storm. But by the time we get to chapter 5, in verse 1, look what we read. And they came over unto the other side of the sea.

Apparently, they have arrived. Oh, yes, there was a storm. Yes, the ship was filled with water. Yes, the Lord slept on that ship. But he awoken, he calmed the storm, and he carried them all the way to the other side. So now he's arriving to the other side with his disciples. And I wanted to notice that where he arrived, it says in verse 1 of Mark chapter 5, it says that they came to the other side of the sea into the country of the Gadarenes. Now this is an interesting name. Gadarin, come obviously from the Hebrew name Gad, the tribe, if you remember the tribe of Gad, that was one of the 12 tribes of our people, the people of Israel.

And if you please bear with me, turn to Numbers chapter 32 for a verse or two that I would like to connect this with this passage. In Numbers chapter 32, there were two and a half tribes of our people of old Israel, the tribe of Reuven, the tribe of Gad, and half of the tribe of Menashe, who did not want to enter into the promised land, but they were pleased to stay on the other side of the Jordan River, on the eastern side. And so we read in Numbers chapter 32, Now the children of Reuven and the children of G-d had a very great multitude of cattle. And when they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilad, that behold, the place was a place for cattle, the children of G-d and the children of Reuven came and they spake unto Moshe.

and to Eliezer the priest, and unto the princess of the congregation of Israel. And then they said, I'm jumping over verse 3 and verse 4, they say, Wherefore said they, if we have found grace in thy side, let this land be given unto thy servants for a possession, and bring us not over the Jordan. So I'm not going to read all the remaining verses, but in Numbers chapter 32, two and a half tribes of Israel did not want to enter into the promised land. Reuven, Gad, and half of the tribe of Menashe. They saw that the property there, if you notice, by the way, the eastern side of the Jordan River, they did not want to cross over to the other side.

they were happy to stay on the eastern side of the land of Israel. Reuven, Gad, and half of the tribe of Menashe. So they remain on this side of the Jordan River, and the rest of the tribes have entered into the promised land. Now, of course, they had to go into fight with Joshua, and they fought until Israel had all gotten the land, much of the land, not all the land, because they never completely got all the land of Israel. But when they finished to fight with their brethren, they returned back to this side, to the eastern side of the Jordan River. Now, this eastern side of the Jordan River, later on in the history of the Greeks and the Romans, these are the 10 cities called the Decapolis that were most of them on the eastern side of the Jordan River.

Only one city called Scythopolis was on the western side, but all the other side, Damascus, Hippos, and Canetha, and Dion, and Raphana, and Gadera. And then we have Pela, and then we have Garesa, and Philadelphia, together ten towns, ten cities that are called Dikapolis in Greek. Dika, ten polis cities, ten cities that were known there, most of them, if not all of them, at the eastern side of the Jordan River. So now, he crossed to the other side. Where did he go? He crossed to the area of the side of the Gadarenes. That's come from the tribe of Gad. Those are Hebrews, Israelis, who are part of the nation of Israel, but they remain on the other side.

Now, you see what happened with these tribes, that they mingled with the nations around. And it didn't take too long before they adapted their manners and their behavior and their lifestyle. They were not going anymore to the temple in Jerusalem as they should have been doing over the generations. They were not committed to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. There was a mixture that we're going to see this in a moment. So now, notice verses 1 and 2 of Mark chapter 5. He arrived to the country of the Gadarin, and lo and behold, listen to that, when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit.

Now imagine, in those days, when the Messiah was among our people of all, the people of Israel, There was a lot of demonic activities that were going on in the land of Israel. Now, here come a man from the area of Gadara. And he is approaching the Lord. But where does he come from? He's coming, according to verse 2, he's coming out of the tombs. This man apparently lived among the tombs. And he was controlled by an unclean spirit. What a condition, beloved brothers and sisters. He was possessed by unclean spirits. We would call them demons today. And those demons were really fallen angels. Those, the ones that followed Satan, disobeyed God and became what we call them today, demons, unclean spirits.

Can you imagine this man was now possessed by an unclean spirit? In fact, we read about his condition in verses 3, 4, and 5. Look at his condition. There are about four things that I want to point in verses 3, 4, and 5. First of all, he was dwelling among tombs. Now, it was not for Jewish people to go into a burial site, into the Beit Kvarot. Just to live there, it was unusual, it was uncommon. Anyone that belonged to the nation of Israel. Secondly, notice that it says in verse 3, No man could bind him, not even with chains. He was possessed with demons, and no one could hold him. No one could bind him.

You know, today, if somebody is behaving in a wrong way and not acting right, they will put him in a straight jacket so he cannot harm himself, nor anybody else. But no one could do this to this man. It says here in verse 4, Why? Because it said that he had been often bound with fetters, this is ropes, and chain. And the chain had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces. And then it said, neither could any man tame him or restrain him. He couldn't be restrained. He lived by the gravesite. No one could even bind him together. No one could control him.

This man was in a terrible shape. In fact, verse 5, it says, Always night and day he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying and cutting himself with stones. This is a terrible condition. That reminds us of the effectiveness, you might say, of the activity of Satan. Satan controlling men who do not subject themselves to the Lord. Satan is an enemy of God and an enemy of mankind. He is called in Ephesians 2, the prince of the power of the air. He is called in 2 Corinthians 4, the God of this world that blinded the mind of them that believe not lest the glorious gospel of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah should shine unto them.

He's called the one that is the enemy of God, the Satan, the devil, the old serpent. He's the enemy of God and you have his messengers attacking and controlling men even these days in which we live in. I know you and I live in so-called North America or in the modern countries of this world. But if you would go to other countries that people live differently in a third world country or elsewhere, you will hear many stories about the effects of Satan over mankind. Well, look what we find him. This happened about 2,000 years ago when Yeshua went to Gadara on the other side of the lake of Kinneret.

A man that is fully controlled by Satan's messengers, by demons. Demon-possessed. Living among the dead, cutting himself, shouting. You might say he was a lunatic. He was not normal. His behavior was terrible. Everyone was afraid of him. And it does say, beloved brothers and sisters, in verses 6 and 7, that this man approached Yeshua. Now we learn how wonderful. You know the Lord Yeshua, the Lord Jesus, He's not only able to control the elements, but He has authority over unclean spirits. He's a deliverer. He's a Savior. He loves mankind. He doesn't want people to be in such a condition. And so we find out, look at this, verses 6 and 7.

He approached Yeshua and he had a request. Notice it says here in verse 6, when he saw Jesus afar off, when he saw Yeshua, he ran to worship him. This is the man himself. But then we find out, and he cried with a loud voice and he said, What have I to do with thee, Yeshua, thou son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God that you will torment me not. Now you can almost see here a double personality as you might say. On the one hand the man is running recognizing Yeshua heard about Yeshua that he is the one that everyone spoke about him that he is the one the promised Messiah he is coming to worship him but at the same time that demonic evil spirit is crying with a loud voice through this man and saying, what have I, notice, what have I to do with thee, Jesus, Yeshua, the Son of the Most High God?

You see, apparently, that evil spirit recognizes who Yeshua is. You see, the devil himself knows very well who the Messiah is. We read when the devil came to tempt Yeshua in Matthew chapter 4 and in Luke chapter 4 when he was in the wilderness, also in Mark chapter 1 as we read it already, the devil knew very well who Yeshua is. He trembled, we read in James chapter 2. But he is not intent to submit to the Lord. He is an enemy of God and an enemy of God's people. But you notice what he said. He says, what have I to do with you, Yeshua, you son of the most high God?

I beseech you by God that you torment me not. In other words, the demon, the fallen angel, know very well that there is a time coming that he will be tormented. He will end up to be sent into the abyss as a final judgment that's going to come on all those fallen angels that departed from the Lord, like it will happen to Satan, who will be ultimately cast into the lake of fire. That's what he's saying. What have I to do with thee, you son of the most high God, I adjure thee by God that you will torment me not. Brothers and sisters, listen. Because God hates sin, God will judge anyone, any sin that rises up because God is holy.

Men that refuse to accept God's offer of salvation will end up to be tormented. Demonic or demons or angels, falling angels that separated from God will end up to be tormented. God has to judge sin because God is holy. And the only way that you and I can be delivered from the judgment of God is because Jesus, Yeshua, our Messiah, paid for the penalty of our sins. He was the just who died for the unjust in order to bring us to God, 1 Peter 3. And that's how we receive forgiveness of sins. Just to remind you, in Luke chapter 16, The story that Yeshua said about Eliezer and the rich man.

These are not demons now. These are people. Eliezer trusted God. The rich man rejected God. When Eliezer, Lazarus died, he was carried to Abraham's bosom to enjoy rest, eternal rest. When the rich man who rejected God, he died. He was carried to Hades, to hell. And you remember what he said? Father Abraham, he said, Please send Eliezer, Lazarus, that he will go to my family. I don't want them to be here where I am because I am tormented here. And you remember what Abraham said to him? They have Moses. They have the scriptures. They have the word of God. If they don't listen to the word of God, how would they listen even if someone will rise from among the dead?

And so, beloved brothers and sisters, we realize here from this verse 7 that this unclean spirit, the fallen angel that took possession of this man knew very well what is coming his way. He knew first of all that Yeshua was the son of the Most High God and secondly, he desired that he will not torment him. In other words, don't send me to the abyss where there all the fallen angels are there. A verse that is found in the book of Jude, verse 6 says, These are the fallen angels that have already rejected God and followed Satan at Genesis chapter 6 and they did not keep their first estate.

They were already there, but there are those fallen angels that are still allowed to have some sort of liberty, you might say, or freedom here, who are waiting the day that the judgment will come upon them. So please, he said, please don't torment me, he said, Yeshua, the Son of the Most High, In verses 6 and 7. And so we learn that Yeshua now commended the unclean spirit to come out of this man. In verses 8 and 9 we read, For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. And he asked him, What is thy name? He asked this man, of course, who was possessed by the spirit, which he removed the spirit from him.

And you notice what we read? And he answered and he said unto him, My name is Legion, for we are many. Apparently, beloved brothers and sisters, this man was not only controlled by one demonic spirit, but by a legion. The Hebrew word is legion. Legion is about 6,000 of demons, you might say. Just like the Romans army have 6,000 soldiers make one legion, one legion. imagine the possession of this man by this multitude of fallen angels and so we read now as we move along that the request from this man came to pass he says come out of this man this unclean spirit came out they found out that there are legions that control that man and now notice that he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.

This is verse 10, 11, and 12. These demons ask Yeshua the Messiah that he will not send them away. Notice that now verse 11. Now there was there nigh unto the mountain the great herd of swine feeding, and all the demons besought him saying send us unto the swine that we may enter unto them. Now first of all the question immediately arises if the Gadarenes were part of the tribes of Gad what in the world they are raising pigs in their areas. After all in Leviticus chapter 11 God commended when he gave the law to Israel that Israel is not to eat swine and pig. What in the world these Gadarenes now are raising up swine right there in this area that they took possession you might say.

But of course as I mentioned earlier there was a mixture there. There was a departure from God's divine order when he gave Israel the law and by that time you can see that they were raising pigs in that day when the Messiah came and I would like to remind you that when the Lord Jesus was born and living before he died and finished the work on the cross he was born himself as a Jew among his own people under the law and he himself was submissive fully to the law that God had given to Israel in those days that he was still alive. Once he finished the work on the cross, he was buried and raised, and the door was opened to the nations of the world.

The dispensation of law came to an end. And the days of grace have opened the door, and God is reaching out to Jew and Gentile all over the nations of the world. And we live in those days where the Jew and Gentile have liberties that Israel did not have during the days when the Lord gave them the law. And so now we continue. And we find out that these demons requested that Yeshua will cast them into the swine. And so we find out, and I'm moving along here towards the end, the demons' requests were fulfilled. We find out verse 13, And forthwith Yeshua gave them leave, and the unclean spirit went out and entered into the swine and they ran violently down a steep place into the sea and there were about 2,000 and were choked in the sea.

2,000 pigs at that time died when they were running. Can you imagine what they have done now by the evil spirit entering into those swine? They caused them to run and they ran all the way down and fell into the Sea of Galilee. Two thousand of them were now choked and died at the same time. So imagine if these demons took control of this man. Can you imagine what kind of condition this man was? So let me just conclude here in the last verses here from verse 14 all the way to verse 20. two more things I want to highlight. Look at the reaction of the Gadarenes. You would think that these Gadarenes will recognize that he was the Messiah.

After all, the man was delivered from the evil spirit. 2,000 pigs died. There's something special about this man. You would think that they would want him to be there in the land with them. Well, look at this. They that fed the swine they fled they told it in the city and in the country and they went out to see what it was that was done and they came to Yeshua and saw him that was possessed with demon and the legion sitting and closed and in his right mind and they were afraid they went back to their towns They told the owners of the pigs what happened.

Then they all came back and what did they see? The man that was once possessed with a demon sitting quietly. He was in his right mind. He was closed. We had clothes on his body. He was now normal. No longer, you might say, abnormal man. No more crying. No more shouting. No more cutting his body with stones. he was right now sitting, preparing himself to enter, you might say, society. So you would think they would be so happy for him, and they would want Yeshua now to continue on to be in their midst. Well, look what it says, unfortunately. When they saw this man in his right condition, they were afraid, and then they told him how it befall to him that was possessed with a demon, and also concerning the swine and they began to pray him and they said to him, depart out of our coasts.

We don't want you to be here. We prefer to live our life the way we live. We don't want you to remain here in our midst. They rejected the fact that Yeshua came and healed that man and removed the unclean spirit from him. They were ready to continue on in their own behavior. And that tells us, beloved brothers and sisters, that man, unless his conscience is being pricked by the Lord, unless the Spirit of God touch our hearts, we rather go in a wrong direction than choose the ways of the Lord. John 3.19 says, For men love darkness rather than light. That's why the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God.

It is only when the Spirit of God touched that man's conscience that he or she or they will come to know the Lord. They begged him to depart out of their coast. Don't stay here. Get out of our coast. We don't want you to remain in our midst. By the way, that's what the Samaritans said in other passages when he came there and they knew that he was going to Jerusalem they said to him as well they didn't want him to stay in their midst as we read it in other passages what a sad condition that existed there and I believe or I understand from that you know if you have 2,000 pigs and you have a great business selling the pigs and food and meat and now all of a sudden all their possession have been destroyed.

Their business, they're out of business. So they don't want him in their midst. Because they were earning their livelihood through the selling of the pigs. So now they don't want him there. And they say, get out of here. Begin to pray him. They say, depart from their coasts. So let me conclude now, quickly. Verses 18, 19 and 20. The Lord is now ready to depart. When he was coming to the ship, he that had been possessed with demon, he asked him that he might be with him. Now that man wanted to go with Yeshua. He wanted to leave Gadara. He wanted to enter into the ship and travel with the Lord.

He didn't want to remain there in Gadara. After all, he's now free. He's now normal. He's no longer bound by chains and ropes. He's no longer ready to live in tombs. He's free. He's no longer cutting himself with stones. He's no longer crying and shouting and looked by everyone else as a madman. He's normal, sitting quiet. He says, Lord, I want to go with you. Now, who wouldn't want to go with the Lord? after the Lord delivered him from such a condition, he would be happy to go with the Lord. I just don't want to live the old life that I used to live. I want to go with you wherever you go.

But you see, the Lord said to him, listen, not because the Lord didn't want him to come with him, but in verse 19, Yeshua, he suffered him not. He did not allow him to come with him. And he said to him, go home. Go to your friends. Go and tell them how great things the Lord has done unto thee and it had compassion on thee. He's saying to him, no, no, no, no, no, don't come with me right now. You go back home and in your home and your friends surrounding you, you tell them what Yeshua has done for you, what I have done for you.

The great things that the Lord has done for you. It is not that the Lord did not want him to come with him on a boat, on a ship, and continue to be along with the disciples. The issue here is that he wanted this man to become, now you might call him a missionary or a servant of the Lord, to go and tell others about what the Lord has done for him. And I can tell you, you know, he didn't need to be a theologian. He didn't need to know Genesis to Revelation, every passage in the Bible, in the Word of God. But one thing he knew.

I was once a man that possessed by demons and now he set me free. And I'm ready to enter society, to be a blessing to the people around me. And so he departed. Look how beautiful the conclusion of this passage. He departed, and he began to publish. Notice here is the word Decapolis. These are those ten cities, nine of them on the eastern side of the Jordan River. He has now began to share with everyone what great things Yeshua have done for him. And you can just imagine, he's going from one place to another, And everybody looked at him and said, isn't that the man that was once crying and shouting and cutting himself and having chained, we tried to hold him tight, we couldn't keep him?

Isn't he that man that was living where the dead used to live? Look at him! Like the Samaritan woman said, come and see a man who has told me all that I've ever done. Is not this the Mashiach, the Messiah? Come and see. He's inviting and how beautiful to see. He was faithful to go and share the message of the word of God. He went public in obedience to the Lord and he shared the message of the word of God with all the Decapolis, all the ten cities. How great things Yeshua has done for him. And all men did marvel. What's the lesson, brothers and sisters?

The lesson is this. Two points and I'm stopping. Number one, when we have troubles in our life and we have storms that will come our way, we have to learn to simply trust the Lord and ask Him to help us in the midst of storms that come across our life. You will see, and I will see, that there will be storms in our lives. There will be problems in our life. I know we like to have trouble-free life, but it's just not going to happen. It didn't happen to Yeshua himself. It didn't happen to the apostles. It didn't happen to the prophets of Israel. It didn't happen to the king of Israel.

Never in this sin-filled world will we ever have trouble-free life. We'll always have trouble, but we can always lean on the Lord when trouble comes. Secondly, we also have to learn that the Lord is in control over all Satan's activity. And that's why we have to put the whole army of God, Ephesians 6. And we have to pray and trust the Lord that he will deliver us from the attacks of Satan. So we can go and share in this world and we can say, come and see a man. Look what great things you have done for me. You and I, he saved us. He forgave our sins.

We have hope to go to heaven. What more can we ask? And we can share this message of the gospel with a world that is filled with sadness and sorrow. So may the Lord help us to realize that the Lord Yeshua is in control over the elements, and he's also in control over the demons, Satan and all those that do his bidding. May the Lord keep us close to himself and use us to be servants in these days and in this locality. Can we say amen to that?