When a flock of crows invades a field of corn, the birds customarily station two sentries in a nearby tree to keep watch and warn the rest of any danger. Once, two people succeeded in sneaking up on a flock of crows and scaring them before the sentries had given warning. The birds burst into flight, immediately attacked and killed the two sentries, and then flew off. The irresponsibility of those sentries could have cost the entire flock their life. (Source: Illustrations for Biblical Preaching, Michael P. Green)
What keeps you from the job the Lord has called you to? Eccl. 12:13!! We must manage our lives (time, talent, and treasures) with the right kind of fear…with a fear of the Lord! It is important to understand what the fear of the Lord means. In short, the fear of the Lord can be understood with 3 phrases.
Reverence and Awe. God is sovereign and we are accountable to Him. (Prov. 9:10)
Humble Submission. Live with a heart that is obedient to God and teachable…wanting to please God rather than yourself.
Hatred of Evil. Fearing God means you hate what God hates. Prov. 8:13, “The fear of the LORD is the hatred of evil.”
The “fear of the Lord” is not a paralyzing dread. It is a life-giving frame of mind that is built on respectful devotion, humble obedience, and love of righteousness. Read Matthew 8:28-34.
Context: The Lord healed the lepers, healed the centurion’s servant from a distance, healed Peter’s mother-in-law, confronted the covetous disciple, and confronted the procrastinating disciple, and THEN calmed a wild storm at sea with His words!
The Lord and His disciples now get out of the boat, having crossed the body of water, and the welcoming committee is made up of two vicious demon possessed men.
A Scary Situation (8:28)
Listen to the description of this scene given in 8:28:
“two men possessed of devils”
“coming out of the tombs”
“exceeding fierce”
“no man (would) pass by them” – Wow! This a crazy scary situation!
A passenger in a taxi leaned over to ask the driver a question and gently tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. The driver screamed, lost control of the cab, nearly hit a bus, drove up over the curb, and stopped just inches from a large plate window.
For a few moments everything was silent in the cab. Then, the shaking driver said, “Are you OK? I’m so sorry, but you scared the daylights out of me...” The badly shaken passenger apologized to the driver and said “I didn’t realize that a mere tap on the shoulder would startle someone so badly.”
The driver replied, “No, no, I’m the one who is sorry, it’s entirely my fault, today is my very first day driving a cab. I’ve been driving a hearse for 25 years...” (Source: Unknown)
What do you do when confronted with fear? Run and hide? Lock yourself in a room? Yell and scream? Go silent and not speak a word? What kind of fear do you possess? There is a right and a wrong kind of fear. Most would be afraid of these demon possessed men; in fact, no man would go near them. However, it is not the devils that are to be feared. It is actually the devils that are afraid of Jesus.
A Greater Fear (8:29-32)
A little girl said to her teacher, “Miss Hayes, I don’t want to scare you, but my dad said, if my grades don’t improve, someone’s going to get a spanking!” Source: Unknown
This little girl did not possess the right kind of fear! Do we have the right kind of fear toward the right person? Are you more afraid of man’s disapproval or of displeasing God?
With all that Jesus is, do we truly walk in respectful devotion, humble obedience, and with a love for righteousness when we choose to:
treat someone poorly
talk negatively about someone behind their back
belittle our spouse or children
take God’s name in vain, disobey parents, or hate our enemies
doubt His Word or reject His Word
Others were greatly afraid of the demon possessed men, however, the demon possessed men had the right kind of fear they feared Jesus!
Notice two things:
They identify Jesus as the Son of God immediately. The religious leaders struggle with Jesus being God…the people struggle with Jesus being God…and yet, the moment the demon possessed men see Him they identify Him as the Son of God. The title “Son of God” denotes Jesus is Divine, or equal to God the Father.
They (the ones everyone else fears) fear Jesus! “Are you here to torment us before the time?” What does “torment us before the time” mean? The devils refer to the day of judgment. Matthew 25:41 and Revelation 20:10 both refer to this final judgment as well!
o Matthew 25:41, “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”
o Revelation 20:10, “and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”
“The Bible reveals the doctrine that evil spirits are not now bound as they will be after that day; that they are permitted to tempt and afflict people, but that in the day of judgment they also will be condemned to everlasting punishment with all the wicked”
Barnes Notes on the Bible
Has Judgment Arrived? The devils indicated they were aware of the coming judgment, and here are alarmed that the day of judgment had come. They then ask Jesus to put off their final day of eternal punishment.
Leader’s Name? In the gospel of Mark, we are told that Jesus asked for the name of the chief demon. The response was “Legion, for we are many.” The name legion was given to a division with the Roman army. The numbers of this division would fluctuate some; yet, the numbers would be about 6,000 to 3,000 foot soldiers and 3,000 horsemen. The demons were indicating they were a large number!!
The devils desperately desire men or beasts to possess, giving them solace from the fire of which they always burn. So, they plead for Jesus to allow them to go to the swine.
A God-Fearing Reaction (8:33-34)
A LOSS IS SUFFERED: Upset over the loss of wealth, the people seem to have preferred the demon possessed men to still be with them and their wealth in place than to have the demons gone at the expense of their wealth.
ARREST JESUS? The city comes out to find out what they didn’t know, meet Jesus, and discover the cause (freed demon possessed men) that was connected to the catastrophe (the loss of a herd of swine). They probably came with the intent of arresting Jesus; however, after seeing Him, they were so in awe of His presence that they only asked Him to leave.
NO CONSCIOUSNESS OF SIN: These city dwellers had no consciousness of their own sin and so Jesus had nothing left to do there. So, he left as they requested.
The demon possessed men, “Legion,” were feared by the community, but Legion feared Jesus! It is the fear of the Lord we must embrace! So, how can we move forward in the “fear of the Lord?”
1. Honor God’s Holiness. Approach God in your worship, prayers, and Bible study with reverence. Hebrews 12:28-29.
2. Preach the Whole Counsel of the Word of God. Teach God’s grace and God’s justice. Do not water down or minimize sin, judgment, or repentance in order to be more accepted among the masses. Encourage the church to respond to God’s Word with humble obedience.
3. Pursue Holiness in Your Daily Living. Each believer must be mindful that they represent the one true holy God. Believers need to choose to live lives of purity, honesty, and humility. Avoid hypocrisy at all costs.
4. Keep a Short Account with God. Repent of your sin quickly and regularly. The church that fears the Lord is quick to confess their sin (both privately and publicly as needed)! The church that fears the Lord doesn’t seek excuses, it seeks restoration. Prov. 28:14.
5. God’s Approval is the Higher Priority. The church that fears the Lord seeks God’s approval over popularity or success. This means the church will stand for truth even when it is unpopular!
6. Humility and Teachability. The church that fears the Lord doesn’t act like they have all the answers. These believers will listen to understand, learn, and adjust their pathway in accordance with scripture.
7. Worship with Awe. The church that fears the Lord makes their times of worship less about performance and more about the glory and majesty of Jesus.
Manage your life (time, talent, and treasures) with a fear of the Lord!