Mensa Otabil - A Contradictory Attitude
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Mark chapter 5, verses 6 and 7. When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. He cried out with a loud voice and said, «What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me.» Many times when people come to God looking for help, they exhibit contradictory attitudes. On one hand, they yearn for God’s help; they desire for God to deliver them. On the other hand, they reject God’s rule and God’s principles over their lives. This demon-possessed man in the Gadarenes exhibited both.
The first thing is he acknowledged Jesus Christ for who He was; he identified who Jesus Christ was. He called Him by His rightful designation: Jesus, Son of the Most High God. What a revelation! What an attitude of acknowledgment! He ran toward the Lord; he didn’t run from the Lord. There was something in this man that was running toward God, desiring to draw near to Him. The third thing is he worshiped the Lord. He bowed to the Lord and offered himself to the Lord. All of these things are positive: he acknowledged who Jesus was, he ran to Him, and he worshiped Him. But then, when he spoke, something else came out; he rejected the Lord. He wanted Jesus out of his life, and he was afraid of torment.
You see that this man had two things happening in him at the same time: two responses. One acknowledges Jesus; acknowledges God. The other says, «I don’t want to have anything to do with You, God.» You know, there are people like that: «Oh, I want God to help me, but I don’t want to obey God’s rules. I want God to deliver me, but I want to live my life as I want. I want God to deliver me, but I make my own decisions.» You can’t have it both ways. So, if you run to the Lord, wanting His help, then you have to be ready for Him to rule your life. If He doesn’t come to rule your life, what is inside of you will rule your life.
This man is a man of contradiction. There is a voice that longs for the Lord, a voice that desires God, an attitude that seems positive-all the right signals sent. Then, there is the voice that is rejecting God and turning away from Him. Thankfully, Jesus knew the difference. He knew that that which was running to the Lord Jesus Christ, that which was seeking Him and worshiping Him, was the man’s true inner feeling. Like all human beings, every human being, no matter what they are or where they are, longs for God. There is a voice inside of them that seeks God even when they say, «I don’t believe in God. There is no God.» They know there is a God because you cannot be vehement against something you don’t believe in. So, something inside of them wants God, but then there’s the other voice that says, «Don’t come close to me; get away from me.» That’s the voice of the unclean spirit living inside of him.
Now, if you’re not careful, you may think the same person is the one speaking those two phrases: «Come, I want you,» and «I don’t need you.» But Jesus saw the difference, and I think it’s always important for us to know that, no matter how contradictory they are, we need to be able to distinguish between their true desires, their inner desires, and that which is not of them but controls them. Jesus was able to make that distinction. It is in making that distinction that He was able to identify the spirit inside the man, and we’ll look at that tomorrow.
Let’s pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, I come to You with all my heart. Set me free from every sin and bad habit. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.» Well, I’ll catch you again tomorrow. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.