Encounter Church
Sunday Morning 02.08.26
      • Bible Trivia
        Loading...
  • Sing Wherever I Go
  • You Know My Name
  • Holy Forever
  • You Have Made Me Glad
  • O magnify the lord

      • 1 Corinthians 11:23–26NKJV

  • BIG IDEA: It is completely life changing to be in the presence of Jesus. We must be aware that Jesus is not always welcomed

    Scripture

    Matthew 8:18 NKJV
    And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side.
    Matthew 8:23–33 NKJV
    Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. And suddenly they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding. So the demons begged Him, saying, “If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine.” And He said to them, “Go.” So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water. Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men.

    INTRODUCTION:

    We see in Matthew 8:18 that just before the story of the scribe we covered last week, that it was the intention of Jesus to go to the other side of the sea.
    They are headed East on the Sea of Galilee, the Lake of Gennesaret. And no doubt they are confident for they have seen there leader heal many and cast out demons with a word (Matthew 8:16). No doubt they readily hop into the boat.
    Now it is that as the disciples follow Jesus, they find themselves in the middle of a storm.

    I. Jesus Has Authority over all creations

    Hermeneutical Bridge: And so it is with many of Us. When we experience the power of Jesus, we readily follow him with passion and enthusiasm. We never give consideration that the God who has so miraculously worked in our lives and others may allow us to feel the pressure of storms in our life.
    A. What do you do when follow Jesus and still End Up in the storm?
    What do you do when you’ve been obedient but somehow trouble still finds your address?
    Many have grown bitter from the false assumption that the presence of Jesus means the absence of trouble. But sometimes it means just the opposite.
    Isaiah 53:3 NKJV
    He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
    Sometimes going through means you are on the right course
    B. Some of the storms in our life are produced because we are following Jesus
    2 Timothy 3:12 NKJV
    Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

    II. God is still Sovereign in the Silence

    Yes sometimes storms will come and we panic because we assume that because the storm is present that God is absent.
    We see the disciples panic in Matthew 8:25, They ask God to save them. But Mark gives us a more in-depth view of what is being said at the moment. The bible says that the waves had begun to:
    Get in the boat which would eventually cause the boat to get
    Weighted down by what the storm was producing.
    So they cry out in Mark 4:8
    Mark 4:38 NKJV
    But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”
    I love the old English translation “Carest thou not that we perish?”
    They had seen the Jesus’ miracles but had not considered the storm. They had seen storms before and were operating from their prior experience without considering what Jesus could do.
    Often times we limit in our minds the ability of God to work in our situation. “I know what he did for sis or bro so and so but I’ve been in enough storms that I already know how this is going to go.”
    Have you ever felt like that sometimes? Have you every felt weighted down with life? (And) although you new Jesus was around, because he had not moved, you decided that he must not care?
    Have you ever said things like:
    This religion stuff doesn’t really work.
    If God cared I wouldn’t be going through this.
    I’m wasting my time. It seems to happen for everybody else. But not for me.
    But we must be honest and give credit to the disciples. Although they are feeling fear and emotions of helpless, They at least remember to turn to Jesus.
    This is encouraging because:
    Even in times of great fear
    Even in moments of emotional distress
    Even when I still feel helpless. God will respond to my faith! They didn’t have much faith but they had a little.
    I want to speak to someone this morning who is on your last leg of faith.
    You don’t have much but you made it in the building this morning!
    You feel defeated but you still got in the car
    You couldn’t make it out of the house but you at least started streaming the service.
    Even with the little bit of faith you have.. God can work with that! Don’t plan to stay there but at least its a place to start (Mustard Seed)
    B. The storm within
    Matthew 8:26 NKJV
    But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
    When Jesus arises he does something in the text that we need to pay attention to. Yes he rebukes the wind and the waves. Yes he causes the storm to cease.But we seem to overlook the fact that there are two storms in this story that need to be rebuked. One was on the lake but the other was in the Disciples.
    This morning I ask, “What storm is raging on the inside of you. What emotions (and) doubts and fears seem to be filling up the hull of your soul and weighting you down? What struggles with sin are causing you to give up and be overtaken by the waves?
    Waves that overtake us
    Waves of passion, Waves of Lust, Waves of Envy, Waves of Insecurity, Waves of Grief, Waves of anxiety, Waves of Anger, Waves of Unforgiveness, Waves of Fear, Waves of Debt, Waves of Uncertainty, Waves of Sadness and Depression, Waves of Unbelief
    III. Peace Be Still
    Today Jesus is still speaking to us in the middle of our storm. He has power over over the storms in our life
    Psalm 46:10 NKJV
    Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
    John 16:33 NKJV
    These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
    John 14:27 NKJV
    Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
    The

      • Matthew 8:18NKJV

      • Matthew 8:23–33NKJV

      • Isaiah 53:3NKJV

      • 2 Timothy 3:12NKJV

      • Mark 4:38NKJV

      • Matthew 8:26NKJV

      • Psalm 46:10NKJV

      • John 16:33NKJV

      • John 14:27NKJV

  • Big Idea:

    Scriptures:

    Matthew 8:28–34 NKJV
    When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. And suddenly they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding. So the demons begged Him, saying, “If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine.” And He said to them, “Go.” So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water. Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region.

    I. The Tombs and Graveyards We live In

    Matthew 8:28 NKJV
    When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way.
    The young men were in bondage. They were living among the DEAD THINGS. They were isolated and stuck in a location that was:
    Designed for death
    Inhabited by grief and depression
    A home to the dark places (The Secret Bondages in our life)
    Alcholism/Substance Abuse 35%
    Gambling Abuse 61% of Adults 27% of Christians
    Workaholism / Perfectionism (People can’t feel worth of value unless they are constantly moving
    Food Addiction
    Bitterness
    The need to comment on everything and live trapped in the virtual world of social media.
    Power principle: It is a concerning thing that in some sects of the body we of Christ, we no longer preach repentance and deliverance. We teach Management. Because some have lost faith in the ability of God to do miracles we operate in statements of doubt and unbelief. They learn to TOLERATE and CAPITULATE demonic activity in their lives.
    They no longer preach HEALING they preach SICKNESS Management!

    II. There are Spiritual Roots to many things we face

    This opens up a deep reality of Spiritual Warfare.
    Ephesians 6:12 NKJV
    For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

    III. Refusing to combat the demonic will eventually leave people isolated so that the only option people have is to avoid them.

    The young men were so toxic and dangerous that they cause people to adjust their routes for safety.
    Some people have become some Toxic that avoidance is the only strategy some feel they have left. No one comes to help. They are left alone until their metaphorical grave becomes their geographical reality.

    IV. Convenient Bondage

    Power Point: Some would rather see men in bondage and suffer the inconvenience of broken men than have their commerce disrupted.
    Matthew 8:33–34 NKJV
    Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region.
    Pornography:
    From Barna.com
    Pornography is now more readily available and consumed by a larger audience than ever before. Here are some of the latest trends from Barna’s newest study of pornography use, Beyond the Porn Phenomenon, produced in partnership with Pure Desire Ministries.
    Porn use remains a growing problem. Since Barna’s 2015 study The Porn Phenomenon, the number of U.S. adults consuming pornography has continued to rise, with a 6-percentage point increase (from 55% in 2015 to 61% presently). There is also a notable uptick in the number of women accessing pornographic content (39% then vs. 44% now).
    Porn use is often a silent habit done in isolation. Despite its widespread nature, the vast majority of porn users (84%) say no one is helping them avoid pornography, and half say no one knows about their habit.
    Christians are not immune to the pervasive influence of pornography. Just over half of practicing Christians report consuming porn with some level of frequency, including 22 percent who view it weekly (15%) or daily (7%). Though numbers climb among nonpracticing Christians and non-Christians, the reality is that a slight majority of all Christians has some sort of history of engaging with pornographic material.
    The effects of pornography are far-reaching. Barna data reveals that porn users often experience lower mental health and overall well-being, along with feelings of guilt, shame and isolation. Porn use also significantly impacts relationships and trust, even within marriages.
    Many congregants want their church to address pornography. Just 10 percent of U.S. Christians and churched adults say their church offers programming to help those struggling with pornography. Meanwhile, over half (58%) say it’s important to them that their church is addressing topics like pornography.
    The porn Industry brings in from 15-17 billion annually
    75% men 40 % Women
    68% of pastors have struggled or currently struggle
    2024 report 62% of Christian believe that regular consumption does not hinder intimacy. (While ignoring the spiritual implications)
    Solution
    Hebrews 12:1 NKJV
    Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
    Hebrews 12:1 NIV
    Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,

    V. Deliverance will Cost

    Matthew 8:32 NKJV
    And He said to them, “Go.” So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.
    Jesus has authority over all spiritual darkness
    Most people Value material prosperity above spiritual transformation.
    They prefer profit over the presence and Comfort over Christ
    Question:
    Will you invite Jesus to stay?
    If it’s uncomfortable, will you ask him to leave?

      • Matthew 8:28–34NKJV

      • Matthew 8:28NKJV

      • Ephesians 6:12NKJV

      • Matthew 8:33–34NKJV

      • Hebrews 12:1NKJV

      • Hebrews 12:1NKJV

      • Matthew 8:32NKJV

Encounter Church
http://www.encounter360.org
5 members • 6 followers