4. THE ESTEEM OF MAN

4. THE ESTEEM OF MAN

Read Luke 8:22-27.

We are going to glance at life over on the other side. Tombs and a demon-possessed man were across the lake. The other side of the lake represents the godless side. There is an entire world out there that we are assigned to be a light unto. They are our ministry.

By and large, the church of Jesus Christ in our generation is not ministering in Imation of our Savior. We are not imitating Him in what we are doing.

Luke 4:18-19 – That is the ministry of Jesus Christ. Until the church begins to minister in that kind of way, to those kinds of people, we will not be in imitation of Jesus Christ. Until our churches look a far sight more diversified, we are not yet doing the ministry of Christ’s Christianity. Our churches today are far too pretty to be reflecting Jesus Christ in our ministry.

Christ is building His Kingdom with earth’s broken things. He has built a church of failures

As a church, we are to risk looking a whole lot less beautiful to the world, and a whole lot more beautiful to the Savior who died for this place.

Life on the Other Side

1. We’d better be sure Christ has called us to go and that He is going with us (verse 22).

It was Jesus’ idea. He has got to be going with us.

Ways we cannot go to the Other Side:

A. Don’t Go As A Savior

We have to be very careful in ministry that we don’t grow some kind of Savior-complex, because nothing would be more destructive. We go as a servant.

Acts 3:1-13 – Peter gave the man a helping hand – a handful of faith.

Acts 3:11-13 – Even if we have godliness in our lives; we have no power to heal someone. It is Jesus alone who has the power to heal and deliver. We are to flee from all credit; we don’t save anyone. We cooperate with Jesus.

B. We don’t go As A Spectator

We can’t go just to see life on the other side; just taking a look would be very dangerous to us. God has a spotlight on us, and the dove of the Holy Spirit just comes and sits on us, and says “You are in the wrong place.”

We go as a servant, led of God, invited by Him, and prepared by Him.

2. We’re likely to be tossed by the elements, especially if we’re inexperienced (verse 23) (Ephesians 4:14; James. 1:6.).

The Greek word “nepios” means “one who cannot speak; an infant, child, a baby without a definite unit of age.”

Ephesians 4:14-15 – In the generation in which God has entrusted to us; it is imperative for this time, that you and I as this slice of the church, and assigned to this particular dark age; it is time for us to grow up. Do not be like one who cannot speak. It is time to grow up and know sound doctrine, so that you can speak the truth.

2 Corinthians 4:13 – “We believe therefore we have spoken.” This verse is talking about speaking the truth. The word “spirit” means “breath.” We have got to have “breathing faith.” Spiritual CPR is breath in faith – breath in the Word of God. We inhale faith, we exhale faith. In your times of greatest oppression, speak the Word of God out loud. In that way, you will be revived with the spirit of faith.

3. We are wise to recognize the very real danger (verse 23).

The danger of ministering on the other side is very real.

Galatians 6:1 – Even the spirit-filled better be careful, because it is a slippery edge on that hole.

What we are often calling the fraudulent is the fallen. The moment we surrender to ministry, the enemy begins memorizing what the little chinks are in our armor. He also knows what our past has been like; and he knows how to shoot an arrow at the place that is uncovered, and he starts making a study of every single weakness that we have. Pray for those in ministry.

The word “restore” means to “reset a disjointed limb.” Take that fallen brother and put him back in the joint, because any one of us could fall with him.

4. We may be endangered, but we cannot be destroyed (verse 24).

John 3:16 – We have eternal life in Him. Satan is the Destroyer, but he has no authority over us if we are in Christ.

 2 Corinthians 4:9

Matthew 10:28 – This is a promise that we have. Do not fear them that cannot cause us to perish. Christ has called us to live, not in fear, but in abundant life, in Him.

Acts 20:22-24 – None of us knows what God has in our future, but we are going to have to take some risks as the Holy Spirit compels us to take the Gospel to every single nation and people group.

Compelled means “to bind, fasten, tie, to tie as with a chain or cord.” When we are compelled by the Spirit of God, we know that we can go, no matter what comes upon us; because we are in the center of God’s will. “I would rather die in the center of God’s will for my life, than live outside of it.”

When God measured the worth of your life, He gave up His one and only beloved Son. He considers us worth everything. The point is that I get to count myself worth nothing to me, because it is worth everything to Him.

5. We are accompanied by the One who has dominion over all things (verse 24).

Christ has power over the animate, inanimate, the seen, and the unseen. We do not have to understand it to ask God to take dominion over it. He rebuked the wind and waves as if they had life, and they obeyed Him; because He has dominion over all.

The scene concludes with two questions:

1. Christ’s question: “Where is your faith?”

Hebrews 11:1 – They had not had a lot of practice with what they could not see.

2 Timothy 4:7-8 – Paul had been walking with faith throughout his ministry, and he knew it was something to be guarded and cherished.

2. The disciples’ question: “Who is this?”

God desires to bring us to a place where we think we’ve grown so comfortable with what we’ve known, and suddenly He does something that makes us ask “Who is this?”

Father shake us up until the scales fall from our eyes, so that we can see the true You – Jesus, the One and Only.