"NEW LIFE IN CHRIST"

Luke 8:26–39 | Galatians 3:23–29; Have you ever felt like your life was falling apart? Or felt bound by things you just couldn’t break free from? Perhaps it was an addiction, a secret hurt, a deep fear, or a sense that no matter how hard you tried, you weren’t making any progress.

Today, I want to tell you about a man in the Bible who felt that way — completely bound, broken, and abandoned. He didn’t live in a house but in a graveyard. He was possessed by many demons. He had been cast out from society, abandoned by family and friends, and left to wander among tombs.

People tried to chain him up to keep him from hurting himself and others, but he would break the chains every time. Day and night, he cried out in the hills and cut himself without wearing clothes. He was completely tormented and hopeless. No one could save him… until Jesus came.

Jesus came to that place in a boat with his disciples. As soon as the man saw Him, he ran and fell at Jesus’ feet. The demons inside him screamed, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?" Even the demons knew who Jesus was.

Jesus commanded the evil spirits to leave the man. The demons begged Him not to send them far away, so Jesus let them go into a herd of pigs nearby. Immediately, the whole herd — about 2,000 pigs — ran down the hill into the sea and drowned. People from the town came running. And what they saw amazed them.

The man who had been wild and dangerous — the man everyone feared — was now sitting quietly at Jesus’ feet, fully dressed, and completely in his right mind. Transformed. Freed. Saved.

The townspeople were afraid of Jesus’ power and asked Him to leave. But the man who had been healed begged to go with Jesus. Instead, Jesus told him, “Go home to your family and friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how God has had mercy on you.”

This story reminds us of a powerful truth: no one is too broken for Jesus to save. No one is too lost for Jesus to find. No sin, no addiction, no brokenness is too strong for Jesus to overcome.

Today’s text is a message for every one of us. Whatever we carry — guilt, despair, addiction, anger, doubt — Jesus came to set us free, just like He came to set this man free.

Jesus Sees What Others Will Not: This man in the tombs lived a life no one wanted to be part of. The people of the town tried to restrain him with chains and shackles, but he broke them every time. He was too dangerous, too unpredictable. So, they abandoned him. But where people gave up, Jesus drew near.

While others pushed him away, Jesus came to the very place no one wanted to go. This is how Jesus works. He doesn’t wait for us to clean ourselves up before we come to Him. He goes to where the brokenness is and shines the light of grace.

Today, that same Jesus meets you and me where we are — in our pain, in our addiction, in our anger, in our fear. He doesn’t run from the mess. He doesn’t shy away. He draws near.

New Life Requires Surrender: Notice in this story that when Jesus arrives, the man doesn’t run away. He doesn’t hide. The man was powerless, but Jesus was in total command. And that’s how new life begins — when we surrender ourselves fully to Jesus.

That word, surrender, can be scary for many of us. We want to control our own lives. We try to fix ourselves. We try harder, work harder, pray harder — but deep down, we’re still exhausted. New life doesn’t come from doing more or trying harder. New life begins when we finally fall down at Jesus’ feet and say, “Lord, I can’t do this anymore. I trust You. Please do this in me.”

Today’s epistle reading declares, “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29). In Christ, the old life is gone, and a new life has begun (2 Corinthians 5:17).

New Life Brings New Mission: After Jesus set the man free, he wanted to go with Jesus. He wanted to leave this graveyard and this broken place. But Jesus gave him a new mission: “Return home and tell how much God has done for you” (Luke 8:39).

This man became one of the first missionaries. He went home and shared with others how Jesus changed his life. New life in Christ doesn’t just transform us — it transforms the world around us. It gives us a message to tell.

Imagine someone falling into a deep, dark well. Everyone gives up trying to rescue him — except one person, who goes down into the darkness and lifts him out. When that person is saved, what is the first thing he does? He doesn’t run away. He goes and tells others about the one who came down for him. The man in this story was saved by Jesus, and Jesus gave him a mission: “Go and tell others what God has done for you.” New life is never just for ourselves — it’s for sharing.

We don’t have to be afraid to tell it. We don’t have to be Bible scholars or gifted speakers. We just have to be willing to say, “Here’s where I was… here’s where Jesus met me… and here’s what He has done for me.”

Each of us has moments when we feel like that man in the tombs — buried under guilt, pain, or despair. But Jesus came for him, and Jesus came for you and me. Will you accept His gift of new life? Will you surrender? Will you trust Him with the places that feel too broken, too dark, too messy?

Jesus can set you free. He can give you a new life in peace. He can give you a new mission — to walk with Him and to tell others about the One who saves.

Today, as we pray and give, let this be more than an offering. Let this be an offering of trust, an offering of surrender, an offering that says, “Lord, I am Yours. Do in me what only You can do — and use me for Your glory.” Blessed be God Day by Day! Amen.