Pigs and Authority

Pigs have more authority than satan.

Why do we give satan 'place' or recognition in our lives, in our thoughts, in our actions? He has no authority over us - except what we inadvertantly give to him by his deceptions.

When Jesus and His disciples sailed into the country of the Gadarenes (Mark 5: 1-20, Luke 8: 26-39) they encountered a rather wild man who wore no clothes and lived away from the population in the burial tombs. Mark 5: 3-4 says that "no one could bind him, not even with chains....chains had been pulled apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him." Mark 5: 2 explains that he had a 'unclean spirit,' and Luke 8: 27 goes further by stating he "had demons for a long time."

One of the amazing things about this account is that these demons immediately recognized Jesus as the Son of the Most High God. They spoke directly to Him, actually pleading with Him to leave them alone in the man and not torment them. When Jesus asked for their name they answered "Legion" (Mark 5:9, Luke 8: 30) because there were so many of them in this one man.

Here is a question: in what way would Jesus be able to 'torment' these demons?

Answer: by casting them out of the man and into what the NKJV calls the 'abyss' (Luke 8: 31). The American Heritage Dictionary defines the word abyss as "primevil chaos, an unfathomable chasm." Since satan and his demons are spiritual beings, they must inhabit a physical body on earth to function. As spirits they live powerlessly in the ether, unless they can deceive their way into flesh and bone.

This is the reason they begged Jesus to "Send us to the swine (that were feeding nearby), that we may enter them." And the herd of swine was more willing to drown themselves than be inhabited by the legion of demons (Mark 5: 12-13).

Pigs have more authority than satan and his demons.

And if pigs have more authority than satan, how much more authority do we, as believers in Jesus Christ, have over all things?

God Himself gave man dominion over all the earth (Genesis 1: 28), and Jesus restored what Adam had lost (Matthew 17: 11).
We have been redeemed from the bondage of sin and death by the incorruptible blood of Jesus Chist (I Peter 1: 18-19 and I Peter 1: 23).
All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Jesus, and he Himself has given this same authority to us (Matthew 28: 18-20).
Jesus himself said that we would do greater things on earth then even he had done (John 14: 12).
We will do greater things because the same resurrection power that raised Jesus from the dead resides in us (Ephesians 3: 14-20)
We have the mind of Christ in us (I Corinthians 2:16).
Everything on earth is subject to Jesus and has been put under His (and our) feet (I Corinthians 15: 25-27).

So why do we give satan any place or recognition in our lives? He is a defeated foe; he has been de-fanged! All he can do is roar at us, and he can only devour us if we do not recognize that our life and identity are in Jesus Christ (I Peter 5: 8-9).

Pigs have more authority than satan.

Trapeze




(Credit to Arthur Meintjes for this teaching)

When the circus train came to town it arrived with much fanfare and excitement. The elephants helped set up the large tents and the lions and tigers paced in their cages, waiting for the shows to begin. There were jugglers and clowns and fire-breathing acts.

But the greatest and most anticipated attraction was the trapeze artists. This particular troupe of trapeze artists was extraordinary; they performed stunts that were astounding and unimaginable - quadruple mid-air spins mixed in with twists and turns and multiple people flying through the air at one time.

They always practiced and performed with a safety net underneath them.

A reporter for the local newspaper was curious as to why they did all their performances with the net. His first question to the performers was, "Wouldn't it be far more thrilling for the audience to see these stunts without the benefit of a safety net? Aren't you cheating the audience by having a net under you to save you if you miss a catch and fall?"

Without hesitation the leader of the trapeze troupe answered, "We do not have the net below us to catch us if we fall. The net is our assurance, our confidence, our guarantee. It gives us the ability to work at our peak performance at all times, to perfect what we do. When we can work without worry we absolutely put on our best performance every practice and every show. And our artistic and athletic skill levels grow each time we climb up the pole to the swings. Without the net below us we would not be the best trapeze artists in the world".

God has given every born-again believer an incredible safety net. Because the New Covenant is between God and Jesus it can never be broken. Jesus made the peace with God for us, and we come under this Covenant through faith in Him and His completed work on the cross. This Covenant is our guarantee, our assurance, our promise, and our confidence. This is what God wants me to know about my life with Him:

*Right now I am a new creation, a new person, a new species (II Corinthians 5: 17)
*I have the life of God; Jesus' life (zoe life) is my life (John 10: 10)
*The same resurrection power that raised Jesus from the dead resides in me (Phil 3:10-12)
*I am the Father's beloved child (Romans 8: 15-16)
*I am heir to His entire Kingdom (Romans 8: 17)
*I am the righteousness of God (I have right-standing with God) in Christ Jesus (II Cor 5:21)
*All things are mine: the world, life, death, things present or things to come (I Cor 3: 21-22)
*All authority has been given to Jesus in Heaven and on Earth (Matthew 28: 17)
*As Christ is, so am I in this world (I John 4: 17)
*I will do greater things than Jesus did while He was on earth (John 14: 12)
*God wants me to approach Him with boldness and confidence (Ephesians 3:12)
*God will never leave me or forsake me (Hebrews 13: 5 and Matthew 28: 20)

The word "salvation" in the Greek is "soteria," which means "rescue, safety, deliverance, health, prosperity." My salvation is assured, it is guaranteed by the blood of Jesus Christ. Because of Christ I am inseparable from God, and God cannot distinguish the difference between me and Jesus!!

Because of God's safety net in my life I have the ability to live my life to the fullest (John 10:10). I do not have to worry about my place in God, or that He is looking at my performance to give me value or worth. I have the confidence to be exactly who God has created me to be, to use the gifts and talents He has given me, and the assurance that He will always be there for me.

(picture credit: NYTS New York Trapeze School - yes, this is a real school!!)

Karen, Graham, and Don at
Wausau West Hockey Parent Night, January 25, 2007

top photo: the Heart Nebula (Hubble telescope)
bottom photo: crabapple blossoms (kms)

"Indescribable"

(song written by Chris Tomlin)

From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea
Creation's revealing Your majesty
From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring
Every creature unique in the song that it sings
All exclaiming...

Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go
Or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow
Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light
Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night
None can fathom...

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name!
You are amazing God!
All powerful, untameable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God!

High School Hockey Season is in full swing! This is Graham, skating for the Wausau West Warriors. Currently we are in 3rd place in the Wisconsin Valley Conference, with 9 wins and 3 losses. But this week we made the "State Honorable Mention" list, and our power ranking is 10th in the state. The Valley Conference has two of the 'top-10' high school hockey teams in the state, so we have great competition (check out the state rankings at www.wisconsinprephockey.net).
Are you looking to find me? I'll be at the Marathon Park ice rink for games every Tuesday and Thursday night from now until the end of February!!
Go Warriors!!!!!

This week we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior,

"Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
He humbled Himself
and became obedient to death - even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place
and gave Him the Name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father."
(Philippians 2:6-11 NIV)

"The thief does not come except to steal,
and to kill, and to destroy.
I have come that they may have life,
and that they may have it more abundantly."
(John 10:10 NKJV)

"Behold, I make all things new"
(Revelation 21: 5 NKJV)

This is what Christmas should look like in the middle of Wisconsin, but not this year. This picture of my deck was taken one year ago, on Christmas Day 2005.
Our December has been very warm, and today it rained all day. Gloomy. Foggy. Damp. No Sun. Hockey Game cancelled because streets may turn icy.
Hockey Booster Club Christmas Party also cancelled. My "white-elephant" gift will have to wait for another day to be traded for a different, equally spectacular white-elephant.
But it is a GREAT DAY because all my sons are home, so no matter what the weather is outside, I am happy inside.
Merry Christmas to all my friends.