Text: Luke 8:26-39          “Fear that keeps us from God presence”           Calvary 062010

Fear is all around us. We can become frightened by what we see on television. We can have our own inner fears. People can be afraid of the water, Hydrophobia. Nyclophobia is the fear of "darkness."
Acrophobia is fear of "high places."
Xenophobia is fear of "strangers."
Claustrophobia is fear of "confined places."

Husband Puts Himself In the Hospital to Avoid Confronting Wife
An Austrian man ended up in hospital after he faked an armed robbery because he was too scared to tell his wife he had lost thousands of pounds in a casino.

Josef Reiner, 26, from Vienna, broke his nose, jaw and arm as he beat himself with an iron bar to make the fake robbery seem authentic.

But he had to admit himself to hospital when the pain of his injuries got too much.
And when police officers were called in by hospital doctors, Reiner confessed what had really happened.
Topics:  Confession,  Fear,  Marriage
Source:  Ananova, August 22, 2008,
Views: 123
Posted Monday, August 25, 2008 at 12:11:22 PM. Contributed by Matt Neace.
Our gospel lesson is about fear. The fear the people had of the man with the unclean Spirits. The spirit itself had a fear of being cast out into the abyss. The herdsmen and the town people were afraid of Jesus after he cast out the demons.
Then all the people of the surrounding country asked him to depart from them; for they were seized with great fear;

This was pagan territory and these people were Gentiles who were not familiar with the miracles and power of Jesus. This story caused so much fear that Jesus was asked to leave the region.
You would have thought that the people would have been happy to see this uncontrollable person restored to his right mind, dressed and no threat to anyone, but they weren’t.

1. The Reaction of the Different People:
(a.) The demon possessed man: He was the first to stand in the presence of Jesus. He fell to the ground before Jesus. Philippians 2:10 “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” The spirits addressed Him as “Son of the Most High God.” The Message Bible says, “What business do you have messing with me? You’re Jesus Son of the Most High God but don’t give me a hard time.” These spirits didn’t want to worship Him but they recognized His power.

(b.) The swineherders: Usually several owners had pigs in a herd, rather than just one owner. When they saw the pigs rushing over the cliff to their destruction, they were scared to death and ran to town to tell everyone what had happened.

(c.) The townspeople: Who came out to check things out and they were so alarmed and frightened over the presence of Jesus that they BEGGED him to leave.

We all have our demons that we’re fighting

Maybe they were afraid he would cast out THEIR DEMONS. There is no indication that they went up to the man and asked what had happened to him. No one spoke to him with tears of Joy. No one lifted their hands in thanksgiving.

Why didn’t the people rejoice? They were terrified to be in the presence of one with such power. If Jesus’ mighty force could destroy a whole herd of pigs might not this power strike again with even more serious consequences? They viewed the cure as the problem and requested Jesus to leave. They would rather have had the man as he was--dangerous, destructive and uncontrollable rather than healed and clothed and a constructive member of society.

(d.) It must have been a holy moment for this man once he was healed. When he was in his right mind once again, he was not only clothed but sitting at the feet of Jesus. He begged to go with Jesus. But Jesus said, “No, you go back to your family and tell them “how much God has done for you” (Luke 8:39). Jesus was saying, “Bloom where you are Planted.” And the man did. He “went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him” (verse 40). What is interesting here is that his testimony was effective. Mark’s gospel records that sometime afterward in chapter 7:37. “People in this same region were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said.

How do we react to the Presence of Jesus?
JOKE: Jesus, You're Scaring the Patients
"Jesus, There's just something about that name." And apparently it's fear.

The Huddinge Hospital in Stockholm Sweden, has asked a nurse called Jesus to change his name. Apparently some patients have been concerned after they were told "Jesus will be coming soon."
Some people thought they were being told they were going to die.

Jesus, who will now use his middle name Manuel, said "my name never usually causes me problems."
I wonder, when you hear that Jesus is coming soon, what emotions come to you? Is it hope or fear?
Topics:  Jesus Christ,  Second Coming,  Fear
Source:  thelocal.se, March 23, 2006, James Savage,
Views: 201
Posted Tuesday, March 28, 2006 at 11:58:02 AM. Contributed by Brian Mavis.

2. How Do we React to the Presence of Jesus? Many of us respond the same way to Jesus when He does an out-of the ordinary act among us. We fear the unknown even if it is a display of God’s goodness to us. The people in Gerasenes could not benefit from Jesus’ presence because of their fears. Do we fear Jesus because of what He might require of us? Have you feared that He might ask of you something you are not prepared to give?

ILLUSTRATION: People think that if I were totally committed to the Lord that He would make me go to Africa and be a missionary and I would have to carry around a 40 lb. Bible.

I am not sure how we come up with some of these ideas, but they can be powerful enough to keep us from His presence. These subconscious or conscious fears keep us from going to a deeper level with Him and experiencing better things in our life.

The people feared that Jesus’ coming meant a change for not only this Man, but also a change for them. Change is upsetting for all of us. We all fear the unknown. They wanted things just as they were and Jesus was threatening the status quo.

Why are we like this? Scripture in II Corinthians 4:4 says that “the Sinfulness of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God.”

People were willing to put up with their fear of the man, than to trust or step into the unknown with Jesus.
We often do the same, holding on to something that is harming us or causing us fear because we’re used to it and know it, rather than letting it go and stepping into something new, something better.
Example of people in abusive relationships.

3. What Can We Do?: I think the answer lies in getting to know Jesus so well that we are not afraid of Him. We must see his goodness in our lives and get to know him in such a way that we are not seized with an unholy fear of Him.

Our fear of the presence of Jesus will begin to leave as we take steps to allow His entrance into our lives even if we don’t understand how He works. Psalm 119:130 says, “the entrance of your words gives light and it gives understanding...”

As we allow him to make little changes in our life, we will find his light chipping away at the darkness that causes us to come under fear and bondage. We will begin to see that we are different people and that in the process He has not harmed us by His presence or made our life more difficult, but rather that he has restored us.

What can we do about fears that keep us from His presence? We get to know Jesus a little bit better day by day. We allow Him to enter into our life little by little. We realize that “God is not out to get us” but that He is there to give us “life and that more abundantly.” What could be bad about that?
There is nothing to fear about living with God.