TODAY’S MESSAGE
Matthew 8:18-34 The Price of Kingdom Living
Kingdom Authority, Kingdom Power, and Kingdom Living come with a price. Kingdom Authority is given to those who have been chosen by Yeshua in YeHoVaH and who have accepted the calling of Messiah in their service to YeHoVaH. The foundation of Kingdom Authority, Kingdom Power, and Kingdom Living is faith in Yeshua in YeHoVaH.
Faith is the foundation and currency for all things in the Kingdom! Yeshua exclaimed He had not found such “great faith” in all Israel as the Centurion displayed. Without faith it is impossible to please YeHoVaH. Yeshua proceeds to demonstrate and test the faith of His disciples and followers as they follow Him and get firsthand lessons on faith and learn the price, they will have to pay to follow Him.
The price of Kingdom Living is a price of Self-Denial and Rejection. A willingness to give up everything to follow Yeshua.
That includes: house, brethren, sisters, father, mother, wife, children, or lands
The Rewards are much greater than the cost or price you will pay.
Peter acknowledged the price and Yeshua told him the reward:
Mk 10:28 Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. Mk 10:29 And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's,
Mk 10:30 But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
When someone makes the decision to follow the Messiah, that decision leads to a series of decisions of self- denial and potential rejection from others including family members and close friends.
Lk 9:22 Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.
Lk 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
Following Messiah is not something you do at an altar one day. Following Messiah is something you are committing to do every day. It means incorporating His teachings in every aspect of daily life when dealing with all the people in your life, and all the people you come in contact with over the course of your life.
Remember, Yeshua came to His own, but His own received Him not:
Jn 1:9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. Jn 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
Jn 1:11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
Jn 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Mt 8:18 Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side.
It appears Yeshua was trying to get away from the crowd by getting in a boat to go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.
The Sea of Galilee was called by several names in the New Testament.
Lk 5:1 And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,
Jn 6:1 After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias.
Jn 21:1 After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise showed he himself.
Mt 8:19 And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.
A scribe is a teacher of the law.
Scribe – Meaning: 1) a clerk, scribe, esp.a public servant, secretary, recorder, whose office and influence differed in different states 2) in the Bible, a man learned in the Mosaic law and in the sacred writings, an interpreter, teacher.
Usage: AV - scribe 66, townclerk 1; 67
Mt 8:20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
The foxes have a home (holes), the birds have a home (nests), but the son of man does not have a home.
The son of man will travel wherever He is lead. Yeshua is saying this world was not His home and if the scribe is to follow Him, he must be willing to move and be lead as Father leads.
Mt 8:21 And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
Disciple –3101 μαθητής mathetes {math-ay-tes'}
Meaning: 1) a learner, pupil, disciple
Usage: AV - disciple 268, vr disciple 1; 269
Yeshua had many disciples besides the twelve that he had hand-picked.
Jn 6:66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
Jn 6:67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
Jn 6:68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
Following Messiah can get rough at times. Eventually, He will say something or ask us to do something we are going to struggle with, but we must be willing to do what He says. Only those who endure to the end shall be saved.
Mt 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Mt 8:22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.
The dead are those unwilling to follow Messiah. Those unwilling to follow Messiah do not have the light of life. They will be left behind to bury the dead.
Mt 8:23 And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.
Mt 8:24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
The disciples’ faith was tested.
Mt 8:25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.
Mt 8:26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
Fear is the absence of faith.
Mt 8:27 But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!
Mt 8:28 And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.
Gergesenes – 1086 Γεργεσηνός Gergesenos {gher-ghes-ay-nos'} Meaning: Gergesenes = "a stranger drawing near" ?
Usage: AV - Gergesenes 1; 1
Misc: 1) also called Gadarenes, is assumed to have been located on the eastern shore of Lake Gennesaret
Gergesenes and Gaderenes appear to be the same area according to Mark 5 and Luke 8.
Characteristics of the demon possessed:
Their violent behavior invoked fear.
They were inhabited by and had become possessed by demons and had succumbed to demonic warfare.
They had been bound by men with chains and fetters which they had broken off themselves.
The person(s) worshipped, but the demons did the talking.
The spirits wanted to conversate and negotiate.
Discerning of spirits help you determine if you are dealing with a person, or a spirit inhabiting the person speaking through the person.
Yeshua was not afraid of the demons or the person(s).
Mt 8:29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?
Mt 8:30 And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding.
Mt 8:31 So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine.
Mt 8:32 And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters.
Mt 8:33 And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils.
Those that kept the swine were in the territory and vicinity of the demon possessed but kept their distance.
Yeshua was rejected by the Gergesenes/Gadarenes, “Please leave our city!”
Mt 8:34 And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts.
Mk 5:1 And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.
Mk 5:2 And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,
Mk 5:3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:
Mk 5:4 Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.
Mk 5:5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.
Mk 5:6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,
Mk 5:7 And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.
Mk 5:8 For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.
Mk 5:9 And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.
Legion is a military term
Legion – 3003 λεγιών legion {leg-i-ohn'}
Meaning: 1) a legion, a body of soldiers whose number differed at different times, and in the time of Augustus seems to have consisted of 6826 men (i.e. 6100 foot soldiers, and 726 horsemen)
Origin: of Latin origin; TDNT - 4:68,505; n f
Usage: AV - legion 4; 4
Mk 5:10 And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.
Mk 5:11 Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.
Mk 5:12 And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.
Mk 5:13 And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea. Mk 5:14 And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done.
Mk 5:15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.
Mk 5:16 And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine.
Mk 5:17 And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts.
According to Mark, the man with the demon named Legion was from Decapolis. When Yeshua sent him to his own country, that is where he went.
Mk 5:19 Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.
Mk 5:20 And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.
RECAP
The price of Kingdom Living is a price of Self-Denial and Rejection. A willingness to give up everything to follow Yeshua.
That includes: house, brethren, sisters, father, mother, wife, children, or lands.
The Reward is much greater than the cost or price you will pay.
When someone makes the decision to follow the Messiah, that decision leads to a series of decisions of self-denial and potential rejection from others including family members and close friends.
Following Messiah can get rough at times. Eventually, He will say something or ask us to do something we are going to struggle with, but we must be willing to do what he says.
Fear is the absence of faith.
Only those who endure to the end shall be saved.
Mt 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
