Brown's Daily Word 2-2-09

Good Morning,
I trust you had a blessed and a very beautiful weekend. The Lord gave us a super, sunny Sunday. It was brilliant. The Lord blessed us during Worship time by His presence. We celebrated the Lord's Supper. The Lord is always there when we come into His presence, before His Table. He is the Host. We are the honored guests.
Jessica went with Tom's parents to Costa Rica for a vacation on January 24. They all returned back to Philadelphia, reaching home at about 1:30 AM. Laureen went down to Washington, DC to visit Sunita and Andy and some her friends there.
She will be returning home later today.
We watched the Super Bowl game in the house with some friends. It was an amazing Game. As you all know by now, the Steelers won. Both teams played their hearts out, but Pittsburgh came away with the win.
The reading for yesterday was taken from Mark 1:21-28. Jesus moved from the shore of the sea of Galilee to a synagogue in the city of Capernaum. Capernaum was about to become Jesus’ base of operations for his ministry throughout Galilee. Archeologists have actually uncovered the site of the synagogue Jesus visited in Capernaum. When you go there today, you can see the remains if the Synagogue still standing. Jesus was on the move, preaching, teaching, and healing. He was in charge and in control. He is the author of everything that is well and Holy.
Jesus went to the Synagogue as His custom was. Jesus set an example for us to be there in the house of the Lord on the Lord's day in worship, celebration, and witness. We live in a tough world, where often we see the effects of the demonic and diabolic influences. We gather in the house of the Lord to declare our dependence on Christ, the Risen One. We submit to His authority. He is supreme and Pre-eminent in everything.
Jesus showed up in the Synagogue and started teaching. The people in this synagogue were amazed at Jesus’ teaching. In fact, the Greek word here for "amazed" is very strong; it means "to be so amazed as to be practically overwhelmed". Often this word has overtones of fear, so they weren't just impressed, they were overwhelmed, even scared by the authority with which Jesus taught. Sociologists distinguish between two different kinds of authority people display in their actions. The first is extrinsic authority, which is authority outside of one’s self. That’s the kind of authority the scribes had. The other kind of authority sociologists talk about is intrinsic authority, authority that comes from within. This is the kind of authority Jesus exhibited when he taught. He didn't quote scripture verses or cite the opinions of previous teachers or rabbis. He simply said, "This is the way it is." To teach in that way was to claim to have a special kind of authority that went far beyond that of a teacher, rabbi or religious leader. It was more like the authority of a prophet or some other special representative of God. This kind of authority was so overwhelming that it frightened the people in this synagogue. Jesus demonstrated his authority in the synagogue. The teachings of Jesus were radical and innovative because he spoke with authority. We know from the other Gospels that sometimes Jesus said, "You've heard that it was said, but I say to you." That kind of formula tells us that Jesus believed Himself to be speaking the very words of God Himself in His teaching. Jesus didn’t simply summarize what others said, but he spoke directly from the heart of God. Furthermore, Jesus’ teachings have carried that same kind of authority down through the ages. While Jesus taught, he was interrupted. In vv. 23-28 we see the irony here. Within a holy place of worship during a holy time of worship, an unholy presence made itself known. A man possessed by an evil spirit disrupted this teachable moment. People today sometimes struggle with the idea of a person being possessed by an evil spirit. We think that maybe this was just the way they referred to mental illness back then. Yet, the Bible clearly teaches the existence of an unseen spiritual realm of both good and evil spirits. These spiritual beings try to influence people, and given the opportunity, they can gain a foothold in people’s lives. In this man’s case, his body had become a host for a demonic spirit. This evil spirit spoke on behalf of all evil spirits when it asked Jesus, "What do you want with us? Have you come to destroy us?" This spirit recognized Jesus for who he was, even if the no one else here recognized him. Yet, Jesus silenced the spirit and commanded it to leave this man alone. With a shriek the spirit came out, and the man was delivered from his bondage to evil. Here again, Jesus spoke with authority. Jesus demonstrated his authority BY REBUKING THE FORCES OF EVIL. God’s rule and reign includes evicting the evil that’s been ruling and reigning in our universe. Here, of course, the irony is that this evil had found a home in a place of worship, this synagogue of Capernaum. Yet, they were helpless to deliver the poor man who was victimized by this evil spirit. It was one of the worst days of Satan, when He came face to face with Jesus. Jesus indeed came to destroy the powers of Satan. He came to demolish the dominance of the devil. When we surrender our lives to Jesus, the Lord, we do not have to fear Satan and his power. We read in 2 Timothy 1:7, " For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind". Jesus continues to speak with authority against the forces of evil today. I have seen people dominated and harassed by demonic spirits find relief and freedom through the voice of Jesus today. Christ has the authority to rebuke the powers of darkness.
In Him,
Brownhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twuLr5rQmp0