https://www.bible.com/events/49311109

Church of the Nazarene – East Rock

For One Part 4 East Rock

You must be born again…

Welcome to our teaching series called “For One”.

Throughout this teaching series we are seeking to know and understand the power of Jesus’ one at a time pursuit of people. We believe that Jesus came to save the whole word, and that through his life, death, and resurrection, he has made the pathway to salvation and eternal life open to us.

Jesus is for everyone.

During his earthly ministry, many times we see Jesus fulfilling this worldwide redemption mission, one person at a time.

Jesus is for one.

So, what would it look like for you and I to adopt that same model for our lives? So many times, our focus is on our country or our community, and that’s not a bad thing. But what would it look like for us to be for one, like Jesus was?

That’s what Jesus did, and it transformed the lives of many people in the gospels.

Today as we continue in part 4 our teaching series, we are going to look at the story of Nicodemus. One of the most well known one-on-one conversations in the bible.

John 3:1-2

Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

We are introduced to Nicodemus as a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish ruling council.

The Pharisee’s were an elite group of people who had sworn to uphold all of the law and the extra oral traditions that went with it. They separated themselves from most normal life so they could be perfectly in line with every letter of the law.

The Jewish Ruling Council was also known as the Sanhedrin. This was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jewish people. It was like the supreme court of the Jews. And Nicodemus is there.

He is a portrait of the best of the best in the Jewish mind, and he is coming to ask Jesus some questions.

John 3:3-4

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

“Like for real, how is someone supposed to be born a second time as an adult?” That’s basically Nicodemus’s question back to Jesus. One of the most prestigious religious leaders in all of Israel isn’t getting it.

But Jesus is clear- VERY truly I tell you- he adds extra emphasis- No one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.

What Jesus is pointing to is an altogether different kind of birth, not from our mothers, but from above, the spiritual realm

This idea of again can literally mean a second time, or it can also mean from above. Here it seems to be referring to both. To see the kingdom of God, something new and from another source, must be born, must come alive inside of us.

John 3:5-8

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

Much scholarly debate exists trying to tease out what exactly water and spirit means, but there is a clear reference in the Old Testament that seems like the clearest connection.

Ezekiel 36:25-27 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

God was describing what the new work of Messiah would be like.

It would be a washing a cleansing from sin. He would put a new spirit within his people, and they would be made new, having a new heart. With all this NEW, it’s like being born all over again. Completely different.

Fast forward to Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus. Jesus says, if you don’t have that cleansing from sin and spiritual birth from the Lord- you aren’t going to be in the kingdom of God. You won’t see it or participate in it.

John 3:9-15

“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

How much Nicodemus left understanding that night, we may never know. For Jesus, this born-again idea was a basic understanding that he felt was easy to see in the scriptures. But yet, Nicodemus had missed it, he was still confused.

In one more attempt to help Nicodemus, Jesus likens his work to the story of Numbers 21 where the people are sinning by grumbling against God. In response the Lord sends venomous snakes among the people, causing many people to die. The cure for them was that they would look to Moses and this bronze serpent being lifted on a pole. It was a look of faith.

Jesus tells Nicodemus, that in the same way, when He, Jesus, is lifted up on the cross, all those who look to him in faith will be saved. Those who are experiencing the sting and bite of sin, those dying in sin, if they will look to HIM, will experience the new birth and have eternal life in Christ.

This is really the answer to Nicodemus’ question: How can these things be? How can this new birth happen?

Jesus says: to be born again, you must believe in the work of Christ. Place your faith in his death and resurrection and receive the purity and eternal life in the spirit. Believe that you need cleansing from sin and a new spirit within. As you look to Christ in faith, that’s how these things can happen.

So, have you been born again?

Have you experienced the cleansing from sin, the freedom from it’s penalty. Have you received the new life of Christ? Have you received a new heart? Do you have the Spirit of God within you?

Friends, this is not a religious question.

Nicodemus was the most religious person any of us would have known. He followed all the rules, he prayed multiple times per day, he gave of his money, he served the church, everything, down to the letter. Perfect. Jesus looks right at him and says: You need to be born again.

Entrance into his kingdom is not an achievement of man, no, its step of faith. It’s by God’s grace through faith in the person and work of Christ..

Will you place your faith in the person of Christ Jesus? Will you look to him for cleansing from your sin, and the source of eternal life in you?

That’s being born again. And today friends, if you place your faith in Jesus, you confess to him that you are a sinner, ask for his forgiveness, and invite him to come into your heart, to make you alive- you too can experience this new birth.

Establish COTN as Your Church on the App

In this YouVersion Bible app, we encourage you to set up COTN as your church. It’s a simple process and will open up opportunities to stay connected to us!

https://help.youversion.com/l/en/article/y03uerubo8-mychurch

Giving at COTN

If you ever have questions or need help with online giving, please let us know: finance@cotnaz.org Thank you for your partnership in building the Kingdom of Christ as you impact others!

Giving

Church of the Nazarene – Harrisonburg

For One – Part 3

Are you paying attention?

This morning’s speaker is Brian Charette, who is a lay person who occasionally teaches for us. Brian and his wife Pam have been a part of our church for many years. Pam is a member of the Church Board.

Our beautiful, God-designed brains are fearfully and wonderfully made. One of your brain’s greatest giftings is the ability to filter out and/or ignore information and stimuli. It’s also one of your brain’s greatest challenges when it comes to the theme of this series…For ONE.

This story in focus this morning appears in all of the Synoptic Gospels – Matthew, Mark an Luke. We’ll focus on the version in Mark but include the other two versions below.

Mark 5:21-30

When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” So Jesus went with him. A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

Mark 5:31-34

“You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ” But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

Two medical students from Nigeria – Serekara Christian and Daniel Koate -published a paper in 2017 in the Nigerian Biomedical Science Journal. Their goal was to diagnose the woman in the story. They wrote:

The woman with the issue of blood as reported in the Holy Bible suffered in her condition for 12 years before she was healed by Jesus Christ. This review aims at underpinning the condition to hematology, identifying the probable causes and its diagnosis. Based on the signs and symptoms associated with her condition, menorrhagia, a condition characterized with prolonged menstrual bleeding is the probable clinical condition she suffered. A low level of von Willebrand factor, other clotting factors and disorders in platelet functions can all be implicated in menorrhagia.

Under Mosaic laws a woman with an issue of blood was considered unclean and was “put apart” for 7 days. During this time anything she lay on or sat on was considered “unclean” meaning that if anyone touched one of those things he would have to wash his clothes and bathe in water to become clean again. The Mosaic law also specified that if a woman had an issue of blood that lasted longer than 7 days that all the days of her issue were considered unclean, and she must be treated as such. This means that this woman had probably been unclean for 12 years and that she had to live “put apart” from others for all that time.

Sometimes, we are called to pursue the ONE – searching as did the woman with the lost coin and shepherd with the lost sheep. But sometimes, the ONE will pursue us, like the woman with the issue of blood or the prodigal son. The question is, when the latter occurs, will we be paying attention?

Pastor Kevin’s first teaching series – “For One” is based on the lost and found stories of Luke 15, which follow.

Luke 15:1-32

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ “ ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ”

Here are the other two versions of the story of the Woman with the Issue of Blood.

Luke 8:40-48

Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”

Matthew 9:18-22

While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.” Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples. Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.” Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.

Establish COTN as Your Church on the App

In this YouVersion Bible app, we encourage you to set up COTN as your church. It’s a simple process and will open up opportunities to stay connected to us!

https://help.youversion.com/l/en/article/y03uerubo8-mychurch

Giving at COTN

If you ever have questions or need help with online giving, please let us know: finance@cotnaz.org Thank you for your partnership in building the Kingdom of Christ as you impact others!

Giving

Church of the Nazarene – East Rock

For One Part 3 East Rock

Jesus sees the one seeking Him…

Welcome to our teaching series called “For One”.

Throughout this teaching series we are seeking to know and understand the power of Jesus’ one at a time pursuit of people. We believe that Jesus came to save the whole word, and that through his life, death, and resurrection, he has made the pathway to salvation and eternal life open to us.

Jesus is for everyone.

During his earthly ministry, many times we see Jesus fulfilling this worldwide redemption mission, one person at a time.

Jesus is for one.

So, what would it look like for you and I to adopt that same model for our lives? So many times, our focus is on our country or our community, and that’s not a bad thing. But what would it look like for us to be for one, like Jesus was?

That’s what Jesus did, and it transformed the lives of many people in the gospels.

Today as we continue in part 3 our teaching series, we are going to look at two people that really stood out from the crowd.

Luke 8:40-42

Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him.

The first one to stand out from the crowd is a man named Jairus.

He’s a local synagogue leader. He was likely in charge of ordering worship and the business of the church. He would have been a man of reputation, of status, and means.

But Jairus doesn’t stand out because of any of those things- He stands out because he has fallen at the feet of Jesus. For a man of his status, this was a humbling scene, but he didn’t care- His daughter was dying, and he had faith that Jesus could do something about it.

As the crowd moves, they press in on Jesus. So close they bump and stumble together. Then, someone else emerges from the crowd.

Luke 8:43

And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her.

She shouldn’t have been there. She shouldn’t have been in the crowd, in contact with other people.

An issue of bleeding made you unclean according to the law of Moses.

Anything you touched would bear the same stigma and penalty as you did. Anyone who touched you, brought this on themselves.

This woman had been cut off from virtually all contact and community because of her health condition.

She had tried everything to be made well. Marks gospel records she spent all she had on doctors and treatments, but nothing worked. It seemed that nothing and no one could help her.

But she had heard about this Jesus. He could heal the blind, make the leaper clean. Surely, he could help her. If she could only touch the corner of his garment- that would be enough. That would do it, she had faith. And that’s what made her stand out from the crowd.

Luke 8:44-48

She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”

She was the one. The one seeking Jesus in faith. She believed that a personal encounter with him could bring healing, if she could only touch him.

All those other people crowded around Jesus. They wanted to be near, maybe hear a teaching, see a miracle. They even bumped into Jesus, they touched him, he felt it. He probably even smelled them they were so close. Nothing happened to them

Something was different about her touch. She was seeking.

It was a reach out in faith to Jesus as the one who could save her. It was personal. And it changed everything.

This beautiful scene of peaceful commissioning is seemingly cut short.

Luke 8:49-53

While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.” Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.” When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother. Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.” They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead.

The people bringing this news think that all hope his gone. No need to bother Jesus anymore, she’s gone. They didn’t have faith that he could do anything else.

People in the first century knew how to properly identify when someone was deceased.

Jesus dismisses the crowd, only Pete, Jim, and John and the parents are allowed to see what’s about to happen.

The crowd laughs at Jesus assessment that the girl was only sleeping. They knew she was dead. They weren’t stupid. Jesus knew that too. He was speaking to what he was about to do. He was inviting them to have faith.

Luke 8:54-56

But he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!” Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.

And with that, the story of two people standing out in the crowd comes to a close.

What made their story different? Of all the people who bumped into JEsus that day, of all the people walking along in the crowd- why did these two stand out? It was their faith.

Lots of people in the crowd believed that Jesus was a miracle worker, a teacher, a really nice guy. But these two stood out from that crowd because they believed Jesus was for THEM.

They had faith that a personal encounter, a personal relationship would change their lives. And friends, they were right.

Their faith drove them to throw themselves on Christ, one who could help, and he saw them. The ones reaching out, coming toward him in faith. And friends, he still sees those people in the crowd today. The one seeking. The one searching.

Will you reach out to him today in faith?

Establish COTN as Your Church on the App

In this YouVersion Bible app, we encourage you to set up COTN as your church. It’s a simple process and will open up opportunities to stay connected to us!

https://help.youversion.com/l/en/article/y03uerubo8-mychurch

Giving at COTN

If you ever have questions or need help with online giving, please let us know: finance@cotnaz.org Thank you for your partnership in building the Kingdom of Christ as you impact others!

Giving

THINGS WE LOSE 

• KEYS 

• PHONE 

• REMOTE 

• WALLET 

• GLASSES (DO YOU ALL ORDER THESE IN BULK LIKE US?) 

WHICH ONE IS MOST STRESSFUL TO YOU? 

AVERAGE TIME 

• WE SPEND 5:20 SECONDS SEARCHING FOR EACH ITEM 

THINGS WE SPEND MORE TIME ON?  

• KEYS 

• UMBRELLA 

• PASSPORT 

• WALLET 

• ID (WHICH SHOULD PROBABLY BE IN YOUR WALLAT) 

NO 1 MOST LOST ITEM 

• US- REMOTE 

• UK-KEYS 

SUNDAY  

• TOP DAY TO LOSE YOUR PHONE 

IMPORTANT DATE IN HISTORY 

• NOVEMBER 15^TH, 2022 

• FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER 

SLIDE 10: 8 BILLION 

• PLANET EARTH BROKE THE 8 BILLION POPULATION 

• THINK ABOUT THAT STAGGERING NUMBER 

• MORE PEOPLE ALIVE ON THE PLANET THAN EVER 

SCRIPTURE MARK 5:1-2 

1. They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. ²When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 

• IMPURE SPIRIT-TROUBLE 

• CAME FROM THE TOMBS (UNCLEAN- CAN’T DEAL) 

SCRIPTURE MARK 5:3-4 

   ³This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. ⁴For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 

SCRIPTURE MARK 5:5-6 

    ⁵Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones. ⁶When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him.  

HULK 

• I DON’T KNOW WHAT/WHO ELSE TO IMAGINE 

• LOOKED LIKE THIS PROBABLY?  

SCRIPTURE MARK 5:7-8 

    ⁷He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” ⁸For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!” 

SCRIPTURE MARK 5:9-10 

⁹Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” ¹⁰And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area. 

• JESUS AND HIS DISCIPLES CROSS LAKE 

• JESUS LEAVES THIS AREA 

• LANDS OVER HERE. 

• DECAPOLIS MENTIONED MULTIPLE TIMES 

VIDEO BOY FISHING 

• EXCITEMENT IN THE BOY 

• EXCITEMENT IN THE FAMILY AROUND HIM 

• COMMUNITY IS CRUCIAL IN KINGDOM 

• DAD SAYS “I CAN WANNA HELP YOU” 

SCRIPTURE LUKE 15:4 

   4. “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?  

• WHO IS JESUS TALKING TO HERE? 

• JESUS IS TALKING TO RELIGIOUS LEADERS 

• NONE OF THEM WOULD HAVE SHEEP 

• THEY LOOKED DOWN ON SHEPHERDS 

• JESUS IS SAYING TO THEM-YOU MISSED IT 

• YOU ARE THE LEADERS/YOU ARE THE SHEPHERDS 

LAST WEEK THE MAIN QUESTION WAS THIS: WHO IS YOUR ONE?  

   THIS WEEKS QUESTION IS DIFFERENT.  

SCRIPTURE MARK 3:9 

   9. “BECAUSE OF THE CROWD HE TOLD HIS DISCIPLES TO HAVE A SMALL BOAT READY FOR HIM, TO KEEP THE PEOPLE FROM CROWDING HIM.” 

SCRIPTURE MARK 3:20 

  20. “THEN JESUS ENTERED A HOUSE, AND AGAIN A CROWD GATHERED, SO THAT HE AND HIS DISCIPLES WERE NOT EVEN ABLE TO EAT.” 

JMU FOOTBALL CELEBRATION 

• EVERYBODY LOVES A CROWD (MOST EVERYONE) 

• OH WE LOVE CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE (PACKED) 

• ENERGY-EXCITEMENT 

• PACKED ARENA FOR A PHILLIES GAME 

• CROWDS GATHER- DISCIPLES FOLLOW 

• JESUS IS SAYING TO HIS GUYS 

• YOU WILLING TO LEAVE THE CROWDS? 

• YOU WILLING TO WALK AWAY FROM THE  

• YOU WILLING TO LET GO SO WE CAN LET’S GO? 

THE REAL QUESTION THIS WEEK IS DIFFERENT–  

LAST WEEK WAS DO YOU HAVE A ONE?  

THIS WEEK IT’S- WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO GO THROUGH TO GET TO YOUR ONE?  

• JESUS IS IMMERSED/SWAMPED BY CROWDS 

• DISCIPLES ARE IN IT 

• JESUS “HEY GUYS GET A BOAT- WE GOING TO OTHER SIDE OF THE LAKE.” 

• HUH?  

• MUST BE A LOT OF PEOPLE WAITING 

• BIGGER CROWDS 

SCRIPTURE MARK 4:35-36 

•   34. “THAT DAY WHEN EVENING CAME, HE SAID TO HIS DISCIPLES, “LET US GO OVER TO THE OTHER SIDE.” LEAVING THE CROWD BEHIND, THEY TOOK HIM ALONG, JUST AS HE WAS, IN THE BOAT. THERE WERE ALSO OTHER BOATS WITH HIM.” 

 ³⁷A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. ³⁸Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”³⁹He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.⁴⁰He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” ⁴¹They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him 

SCRIPTURE MARK 8:1-2 

1. During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ²“I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat.  

• THIS IS JESUS 3^RD TRIP TO THE DECAPOLIS 

• HE LANDED TO MEET 1 

• IN CHAPTER 7 THERE IS A SMALL GATHERING 

• IN CHAPTER 8- WHATS THE HEADING?  

• 4000 NOT INCLUDING WOMEN/CHILDREN 

COULD BE AS MANY AS 7-10 THOUSAND? 

SCRIPTURE MARK 5:19 

  19. JESUS DID NOT LET HIM, BUT SAID “GO HOME TO YOUR OWN PEOPLE AND TELL THEM HOW MUCH THE LORD HAS DONE FOR YOU, AND HOW HE HAS HAD MERCY ON YOU.”  

3 times in this region of the Decapolis 

Mark 7 

³¹Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. 

Mark 8 

This is a massive crowd 

Jesus has left a crowd and entered danger all for 1 

JESUS WAS SUPPOSED TO DROWN-INSTEAD PIGS DO 

STORY NEVER SAYS IF THE DISCIPLES GOT OUT OF BOAT 

THIS ISN’T A LIST OF PEOPLE YOU INVITE TO CHURCH 

YOU SHOULD HAVE THAT- GREAT 

THIS ISN’T A PRAYER LIST THAT YOU HAVE (YOU SHOULD HAVE THAT) 

A ONE (AND IT COULD BE MORE THAN ONE) IS DIFFERENT, IT’S IM REARRANGING MY LIFE FOR A ONE OR POSSIBLY A FEW- I CAN’T REARRANGE MY LIFE FOR 15-20 DIFFERENT PEOPLE, STILL BE MARRIED-BE A PAPI- WORK-  

THIS IDEA OF ONE IS SO INTENTIONAL AND ITS JUST- WALK THE JOURNEY AND … 

https://www.bible.com/events/49304128

Church of the Nazarene – East Rock

For One -Part 2 East Rock

There is no such thing as too far gone…

Last week we began a new 4-part teaching series called “For One”.

Throughout this teaching series we are seeking to know and understand the power of Jesus’ one at a time pursuit of people. We believe that Jesus came to save the whole word, and that through his life, death, and resurrection, he has made the pathway to salvation and eternal life open to us.

Jesus is for everyone.

During his earthly ministry, many times we see Jesus fulfilling this worldwide redemption mission, one person at a time.

Jesus is for one.

So, what would it look like for you and I to adopt that same model for our lives? So many times, our focus is on our country or our community, and that’s not a bad thing. But what would it look like for us to be for one, like Jesus was?

That’s what Jesus did, and it transformed the lives of many people in the gospels. Even the ones who seemed too far gone.

Luke 8:26-27

They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs.

Our teaching text begins with a note about some travel plans that establish the location for the story. Earlier in this voyage at sea, Jesus and his disciples had encountered a great storm.

Just before our text in chapter 8, we find the miracle of Jesus calming the wind and the waves with only a word. The disciples are in such a fierce storm they are afraid for their lives. They grab Jesus and beg that he would do something. Jesus speaks and immediately the sea and storm were calm, and the disciples wonder among themselves, “Who is this guy that can even control the wind and the waves?”

Our text at verse 26 continues that same trip, with an arrival on shore. There Jesus receives a shocking welcome from a demon possessed man.

For a long time, this man had lived in the graveyard naked, making his home among the graves. The gospel of Mark records that this man was heard screaming out day and night.

Luke 8:28-29

When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.

All other attempts had failed at restraining this man had failed. The evil spirits that had possessed him had such control and power over him that he was able to break free from chains. Yet, at the very presence of Jesus, these evil spirits know they are outmatched, they are done.

What this passage illustrates is the immense power of Jesus over the most seemingly uncontrollable forces in this man’s life.

Luke 8:30-33

Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss. A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission. When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

Much study and attention has gone into the details of this demonic oppression.

How many demons? How did this happen? What does it mean today? And to be sure, there is a time a place for those questions.

But what I want us to focus on today is the ultimate power and authority of Jesus over every single evil spirit. The demons were so sure of their immanent judgement and destruction, they are literally begging Jesus over and over, not to cast them back to the Abyss.

Commentator Darrel Bock says: “Jesus may have been outnumbered, but he was certainly not outmatched.”

Luke 8:34-37

When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.

When the people of the town came out to see this crazy story about the demon possessed man, what they found was a brand-new man, redeemed and restored, sitting at the feet of Jesus.

The word at the end of verse 36 that says “had been cured”. In the original language that literally means “saved” or to be made whole.

He wasn’t cured from a disease- He was rescued and re-made. Transformed.

That’s the miracle working power of Jesus.

iWhat is amazing to me is that the people don’t seem to have a category for this kind of power.

We don’t know if they were afraid of his supernatural power, if they were afraid he was there to shut down the pig industry- either way, they ask him to leave. And he does. Jesus heads back home.

But what about the man? What happened to him?

Luke 8:38-39

The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.

The man wanted to go with Jesus and his disciples, but Jesus had another plan. Jesus wanted this man to go home and tell everyone how much God had done for him.

The one who everyone would have said was too far gone, was no Jesus’ trusted messenger to tell everyone in his hometown about all that God had done.

There is no such thing as too far gone for Jesus.

Friends as this was true for the crazed and possessed man in the cemetery, it’s still true today. There is no evil force in the world today greater than the power of Jesus Christ. Not an evil spirit, not an addiction, not an illness, nothing.

Those stories in the lives of our loved ones can be extremely painful. This story does not make light of the power and pain of sin.

But as we begin this journey together asking the Lord to give us one person, we might have a reaction or response to the name he gives us.

You might have been praying for and working with that person for a long time and you honestly have just given up hope.

Time and time again, nothing’s changed. Because of lies, addictions, poor choices, broken relationships. They just seem too far.

Friend, those feelings are real. And the truth is, someone can be to far for us to reach. But there is no such thing as too far for Jesus. He is greater!

Will you trust him today with the one he is placing on your heart?

Establish COTN as Your Church on the App

In this YouVersion Bible app, we encourage you to set up COTN as your church. It’s a simple process and will open up opportunities to stay connected to us!

https://help.youversion.com/l/en/article/y03uerubo8-mychurch

Giving at COTN

If you ever have questions or need help with online giving, please let us know: finance@cotnaz.org Thank you for your partnership in building the Kingdom of Christ as you impact others!

Giving